sloe
1 synonym for sloe, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The small, sharp-tasting wild fruit of the blackthorn.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use sloe
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
pick sloes
sloe gin
ripe sloes
a handful of sloes
Sloe is a plain, everyday word mostly used in the context of foraging or making drinks.
Etymology
Sloe descends from Middle English forms such as slo and sla, which trace back to Old English slā. Further back the word is Germanic, and its ultimate root is thought to relate to the idea of a bluish colour, fitting the fruit's dark, dusty skin.
Full origin of sloe →Frequently asked questions
What is a sloe used for?
Sloes are mainly used to flavour drinks, most famously sloe gin, since the raw fruit is too astringent to eat on its own.
Is a sloe the same as a blackthorn?
The blackthorn is the tree or shrub, while a sloe is the fruit it produces, though sloe can also refer to the tree itself.
Why does sloe sound like slow?
Sloe and slow are homophones in English, they are pronounced the same but spelled differently and mean completely different things.
