slacken

Etymology

From Middle English slakenen, equivalent to slack + -en.

verb

  1. (intransitive) To gradually decrease in intensity or tautness; to become slack.
    The pace slackened.
  2. (transitive) To make slack, less taut, or less intense.
    slacken the rope
    Elk slackened the rope so he could walk farther away, and together they went awkwardly up the trail toward the grassy little flat[…] 1986, Mari Sandoz, The Horsecatcher
  3. To deprive of cohesion by combining chemically with water; to slake.
    to slacken lime

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