slur

Definition

An insult or slight, especially one that is muttered incoherently under one's breath.

Etymology

From Middle English sloor (“thin or fluid mud”). Cognate with Middle Low German sluren (“to trail in mud”). Also related to dialectal Norwegian sløra (“to be careless, to scamp, dawdle”), Danish sløre (“to wobble, be loose”) (especially for wheels); compare Old Norse slóðra (“to drag oneself along”). * (an extremely offensive term): Influenced by various compounds of sense 1 such as racial slur, ethnic slur, etc.

Example Sentences

• "It seems that according to their best guess, our mother's ^([sic]) drank too much coffee or alcohol, took drugs, or were under stress during the period of our conception. Underlying all this speculation is, of course, the big slur: we're some kind of unnatural or abnormal product, outside of humanity and their religions."
• "In interviews, current and former students of color described an environment rife with racial insensitivity, including casual uses of slurs."
• "Elon Musk's recent declaration that the term "cis" is a slur indicates just how much transphobia is now central to Twitter."

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