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Origin and history of slope

slope(v.)

1590s, "go in an oblique direction," from earlier adjective meaning "slanting" (c. 1500), probably from Middle English aslope (adv.) "on the incline" (late 15c.), from Old English *aslopen, past participle of aslupan "to slip away," from a- "away" + slupan "to slip" (see sleeve). IT is attested from 1709 as "be in a slanting position;" the transitive sense of "place in a slanting position" is from c. 1600. Related: Sloped; sloping.

slope(n.)

1610s, "inclination, slant, oblique direction," from slope (v.). The meaning "an incline, a slant (of ground)" is from 1620s, the sense in ski-slope. The derogatory slang meaning "Oriental person" is attested from 1948, American English, from the shape of the eyes.

also from 1610s

Entries linking to slope

sleeve(n.)

Middle English sleve, from Old English sliefe (West Saxon), slefe (Mercian) "arm-covering part of a garment," probably literally "that into which the arm slips," from Proto-Germanic *slaubjon (source also of Middle Low German sloven "to dress carelessly," Old High German sloufen "to put on or off"), from PIE root *sleubh- "to slide, slip."

It is related etymologically to Old English slefan, sliefan "to slip on (clothes)" and slupan "to slip, glide." Also for the sense, compare slipper, Old English slefescoh "slipper," slip (n.2) "woman's garment," and expression slip into "dress in."

The mechanical sense of "tube in which a rod or another tube is inserted" is by 1864. The meaning "the English Channel" translates French La Manche, literally "the sleeve" (from Old French manche "a sleeve," also "a handle," from Latin manicae "long sleeves of a tunic;" see manacle (n.)).

The figurative expression have something up (or in) one's sleeve, "have ready as occasion demands," is recorded from c. 1500 (the long, pendant sleeves of the late Middle Ages also sometimes doubled as pockets); to have a card (or ace) up one's sleeve in the figurative sense of "have a hidden resource" is from 1863; the cheat itself is mentioned by 1840s. To wear one's heart on (one's) sleeve is from "Othello" (1604). For laugh in one's sleeve see laugh (v.).

upslope(n.)

"upward slope," 1920, from up- + slope (n.).

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    Trends of slope

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

    More to explore

    incline
    in early use also encline, c. 1300, "to bend or bow toward," from Old French encliner "to lean, bend, bow down," from Latin inclinare "to cause to lean; bend, incline, turn, divert," from in- "into, in, on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + clinare "to bend" (from PIE *klein-, suf
    side
    Old English side "flanks of a person, the long part or aspect of anything," from Proto-Germanic *sīdō (source also of Old Saxon sida, Old Norse siða, "flank; side (of meat); coast," Danish side, Swedish sida, Middle Dutch side, Dutch zidje, Old High German sita, German Seite), fr
    talus
    "slope," 1640s, from French talus (16c.), from Old French talu "slope, mound, small hill" (12c.), probably from Gallo-Roman...*talutum, from Latin talutium "a slope or outcrop of rock debris," perhaps of Celtic origin (compare Welsh, Breton tal "...
    heel
    Middle English hield (probably by misinterpretation of -d as a past tense suffix), from Old English hieldan "incline, lean, slope...source also of Middle Dutch helden "to lean," Dutch hellen, Old Norse hallr "inclined," Old High German halda, German halde "slope...
    climate
    parallel to the equator," from Old French climat "region, part of the earth," from Latin clima (genitive climatis) "region; slope...of the earth," from Greek klima "region, zone," literally "an inclination, slope," thus "slope of the earth from equator...Ancient geographers divided the earth into zones based on the angle of sun on the slope of the earth's surface and the length...
    coast
    14c., "margin of the land;" earlier "rib as a part of the body" (early 12c.), from Old French coste "rib, side, flank; slope...side" of the land, as well as "side of a hill," and this passed into Romanic (Italian costa "coast, side," Spanish cuesta "slope...French also used this word for "hillside, slope," which led to the English verb meaning "a slide or sled down a snowy or...
    decline
    late 14c., "to turn aside, deviate" (a sense now archaic), also "sink to a lower level," and, figuratively, "fall to an inferior or impaired condition," from Old French decliner "to sink, decline, degenerate, turn aside," from Latin declinare "to lower; avoid, deviate; bend from,
    elevation
    late 14c., "a rising, height of something, height to which something is elevated," from Old French elevation and directly from Latin elevationem (nominative elevatio) "a lifting up," noun of action from past-participle stem of elevare "lift up, raise," figuratively, "to lighten,
    declination
    late 14c., declinacioun, in astronomy, "distance of a heavenly body from the celestial equator, measured on a great circle passing through the body and the celestial pole," from Old French declinacion (Modern French déclinaison) and directly from Latin declinationem (nominative d

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