slay

Etymology 1

From Middle English sleen, slayn, from Old English slēan (“to strike, beat, smite, stamp, forge, sting, slay, kill, impact”), from Proto-West Germanic *slahan, from Proto-Germanic *slahaną (“to fight, strike, kill”), from Proto-Indo-European *slak- (“to hit, strike, throw”). Cognate with Dutch slaan (“to beat, hit, strike”), Low German slaan (“hit, strike”), German schlagen (“to beat, hit, strike”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish slå (“to knock, beat, strike”), Icelandic slá (“to strike”). Related to slaughter, onslaught.

verb

1. (now literary) To kill; to murder.
   The knight slew the dragon.
   Our foes must all be slain.
   Slay not your children, fearing a fall to poverty, We shall provide for them and for you. Lo! the slaying of them is great sin. 1930, Marmaduke Pickthall, transl., The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, surah 17, verse 31
   This is a graph of the death rate from infectious disease in this country. The heroes of my field have slain one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. While the heroes of your field gathered in the desert to create a new one. 4 May 2015, Randall Munroe, xkcd (webcomic), Degree-Off
2. (literary) To eradicate or stamp out.
   You must slay these thoughts.
3. (by extension, hyperbolic, colloquial) To defeat; to overcome (in a competition or contest).
   December 31 1956, “Giants Slay Bears in Pro Title Battle”, in Lodi News-Sentinel, page 8:
   November 19 1985, “Redskins slay Giants; Thiesmann shatters leg”, in The Gadsden Times, pages D1-5:
   The Yankees were actually slayed by two former Yankees because Rich Gossage pitched one scoreless inning in relief of Eckersley to notch his first victory. April 21 1993, Jack Curry, “Yanks’ Bullpen Falls Short Again”, in The New York Times
4. (slang) To delight or overwhelm, especially with laughter.
   Ha ha! You slay me!
   He snapped his fingers contemptuously at the alarm clock. "I fear thee not, thou ticking tyrant." "You slay me," grinned Cedric. 1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 29
5. (slang, African-American Vernacular, transitive, intransitive) To amaze, stun, or otherwise incapacitate by excellence; to excel at something.
   Your outfit slays!
6. (slang) To have sex with.
   2015 Sexual Harassment in Education and Work Settings: Current Research and Best Practices for Prevention The Online Slang Dictionary offers nearly 200 words referring to sexual intercourse. Many of the terms and phrases connote violence, such as: “bang,” “beat,” “chopped up,” “cut,” “hit,” “hit raw,” “hit that,” “kick it,” “nail,” “pound,” “ram,” “slap and tickle,” “slay,” “smack,” “smash,” and “spank”

Etymology 2

See sley

noun

1. Alternative form of sley