Standard Lemma guide

slaught-beam

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: /ˈslɔːt.biːm/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Barrier.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

Topics: government, military, politics, war

Examples

  • Raise the slaught-beam.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Probably a calque of Dutch slagboom or German Schlagbaum. These are etymologically equivalent to English slay + beam, meaning a beam that can be banged (“slain”) down. The word slaught (related with slay) would have been chosen because it is phonetically closer to the continental words. Alternatively it might be a phono-semantic matching of Dutch sluitboom, which has the same sense, but literally means “closing beam”. In this case, however, the etymological relation between the element slaught and the above-mentioned words would be a curious coincidence.