slice
slys
/slaɪs/
A thin, flat piece cut from something; (verb) to cut into thin, flat pieces.
Implies a clean, deliberate cut, usually to make food easier to eat or serve.
The story behind the word. Derived from the Old French esclice, meaning a splinter or a fragment broken off. This came from a Germanic root meaning 'to split.' Over centuries, the word shifted from describing a rough, broken splinter to a clean, deliberately cut piece of food.
Word relationships
- carve: Carve implies cutting larger, often decorative portions from a whole roast, while slice is more about uniform, flat pieces.
Commonly confused with
- chop: Chop means to cut into irregular, bite-sized pieces with downward blows, whereas slice means to cut into flat, even sheets.
Word family
- slicer (noun): A machine or tool used for slicing food.
Collocations
- thin slice
- slice of bread
- slice of life
Idioms & expressions
- slice of the pie
- any way you slice it
Example sentences
- "Could you please slice the cheddar cheese very thin so it melts easily?" Ordering at a deli counter.
- "He cut a generous slice of the roast beef and placed it on her plate." Serving a meal.
Memory hook
A slice of ice is very nice. Clean, flat cut.
When not to use
Do not use 'slice' if you are cutting food into thick chunks or cubes; use 'dice' or 'chop' instead.
Fun facts
- The mechanical bread slicer was invented by Otto Rohwedder in 1928, leading to the famous phrase 'the greatest thing since sliced bread.'
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.