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slum·gul·lion

(slŭm-gŭlyən)

A watery meat stew.

[Originally 19th century informal American English : probably slum, muddy deposit in a mining sluice (probably akin to Dutch slam and German Schlamm, sludge) + Scots-Irish gollion, gullion, quagmire, cesspool (from Irish Gaelic goilín, pit, pool, gully, possibly from diminutive of goile, stomach, throat (for the semantic development, compare English gorge, valley, from Middle English gorge, gullet, or English gully, valley, probably alteration of Middle English golet, throat), from Middle Irish gaile, stomach; akin to Old Irish gelid, he consumes, grazes, and German Kehle, throat).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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