/ sleɪ; NAmE / verb ( slew / sluː; NAmE / slain / sleɪn; NAmE /) [ vn ]
1.
( old-fashioned or literary ) to kill sb/sth in a war or a fight :
St George slew the dragon.
2.
( especially NAmE ) (used especially in newspapers) to murder sb :
Two passengers were slain by the hijackers.
3.
( old-fashioned informal , especially NAmE ) to have a strong effect on sb :
Those old movies still slay me!
► slay·ing noun ( especially NAmE ):
the drug-related slayings of five people
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English slēan strike, kill , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch slaan and German schlagen .