slurry

Unclear; probably related to Middle English sloor (“thin or fluid mud”); compare slur. From mid-15th c.

A slurry of pulverized coal from a strip mine

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈslʌ.ɹi/, IPA^(key): /ˈslɝ.i/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈslʌ.ɹi/
• Rhymes: -ʌɹi

slurry (countable and uncountable, plural slurries)

1. Any flowable suspension of small particles in liquid.
   • 1981, National Research Council (U.S.) Committee on Animal Nutrition, Feeding Value of Ethanol Production By-products, page 26,

     While little information is available, it^{[distillers wet yeast]} probably is similar to spent brewers yeast slurry.

   • 2002, R. Peter King, Introduction to Practical Fluid Flow, page 81,

     The most important application of fluid flow techniques in the mineral processing industry is the transportation of slurries. Whenever solid materials are in particulate form transportation in the form of a slurry is possible.

   • 2006, Mark A. Shand, The Chemistry and Technology of Magnesia, page 146,

     Magnesium hydroxide slurry consists of an aqueous suspension of particulate magnesium hydroxide. The principle sources of slurry are from seawater- or brine-produced magnesium hydroxide, natural brucite, or from the slaking of magnesium oxide powder. Magnesium hydroxide slurry is gaining in popularity as a replacement for caustic soda and lime in waste-water treatment applications.

   • 2011, Wan Renpu, Petroleum Industry Press staff (translators), Advanced Well Completion Engineering, page 259,

     The other properties of cement slurry and set cement are also related closely to cement slurry density.

2. (mining) Liquid waste from some types of mining, such as mountain top removal mining, usually very toxic and stored nearby in large dams.
   • 2006, Raymond N. Yong, Catherine N. Mulligan, Masaharu Fukue, Geoenvironmental Sustainability, page 145,

     Slurry tailings ponds are by far the major type of containment facilities for slurry tailings.

3. (agriculture) A mixture of animal waste, other organic material and sometimes water, stored in a slurry pit and used as fertilizer; also used in combination, as pig slurry, etc.
   • 2004, W. H. Rulkens, 11: Overview of resource recovery techmologies for biowaste, Piet Lens, B. Hamelers, Harry Hoitink, Werner Bidlingmaier (editors), Resource Recovery and Reuse in Organic Solid Waste Management, page 249,

     In the Netherlands, the most problematic agricultural waste is liquid pig manure or pig slurry.

4. (cooking) A thickener.

slurry (third-person singular simple present slurries, present participle slurrying, simple past and past participle slurried)

1. To make a slurry (of some material).
2. To apply a slurry (to).

   Next week we will be slurrying the parking lot.

From slur (“run together; articulate poorly”) +‎ -y.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈslɝi/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈslɜːɹi/
• Rhymes: -ɜːri

slurry (comparative slurrier, superlative slurriest)

1. Slurred, tending to slur.

   He spoke with a slurry voice. — His voice became progressively slurrier as he drank the three bottles of wine.

• Lurrys