What does unslaked mean?
Unslaked is an adjective describing something that has not been slaked or quenched. Its chief modern reference is to quicklime, the solid form of calcium oxide that reacts vigorously with water. When water is added, the lime “slakes,” producing hydrated lime and releasing substantial heat. The opposite, slaked lime, is the already hydrated and less chemically reactive material. In literary or figurative use, “unslaked thirst” means a desire or longing that remains unquenched. The word is more specialized than its appearance in older prose might suggest, but it remains precise and useful because it distinguishes an unhydrated oxide from its transformed product. Because quicklime is encountered in construction, agriculture, and industrial processes, “unslaked lime” is the standard modern collocation. Where quicklime is used directly, however, the adjective may be unnecessary. An unfamiliar reader can nevertheless infer the central contrast: unslaked material is dry, reactive lime, not the cooler, already transformed product known as slaked lime.
adjectiveNot slaked or quenched. The word most commonly refers to quicklime, meaning calcium oxide that has not yet been mixed with water; figuratively, it can describe thirst or desire that remains unsatisfied.
- Of lime: not slaked; consisting of quicklime or calcium oxide before contact with water.
- Figuratively: not quenched or satisfied, especially with reference to thirst, desire, or longing.
"The masonry required unslaked lime, which was kept dry until it was mixed with water."
"The masonry required unslaked lime, which was kept dry until it was mixed with water."
"Years of rejection had left her with an unslaked thirst for recognition."
Unslaked lime reacts so vigorously with water that it can generate enough heat to boil an egg—a centuries-old practical demonstration of its chemical energy.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unslaked come from?
Unslaked was formed in English with the prefix un- and the past participle slaked. Slaked comes from slake, which descends from Old English slacian and is etymologically related to slack. The compound literally means “not slaked,” expressing either an unquenched state or, in the case of lime, an unhydrated state.
How unslaked is actually used
The literal term is standard in technical and industrial English in both British and American usage. The figurative expression “unslaked thirst” is literary and relatively uncommon, while “unslaked lime” is the usual modern collocation.
Easily confused with unslaked
Slaked means quenched or, in the case of lime, already mixed with water; unslaked describes quicklime before that transformation.