What does "slice" mean?

1. (a piece of food) a thin, flat piece of food cut from a larger portion. 2. (a portion or share) a part or share of something larger, like a budget or a market. 3. (medical imaging) a single image of an organ taken by a medical scanner. 4. (sports hit) a hit in sports like golf that makes the ball curve to one side. 5. (to cut into pieces) to cut something into thin, flat pieces. 6. (to move through easily) to move through something quickly and easily, like a boat through water.

slice

n. · v.

US //ˈsɫaɪs// UK //slˈaɪs// slice

1 a piece of food (n.)
A2 Elementary

a thin, flat piece of food cut from a larger portion.

a thin, broad piece of food or material cut from a larger mass.

Example

He cut a thick slice of bread and spread some butter on it.

Example

The chef served a delicate slice of smoked salmon accompanied by a garnish of fresh dill and capers.
- whole
- loaf
2 a portion or share (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

a part or share of something larger, like a budget or a market.

a metaphorical portion or share of a finite resource.

Example

The small company managed to grab a slice of the global market.

Example

The local council requested a larger slice of the federal budget to fund the new infrastructure project.

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3 medical imaging (n.)
C1 Advanced Technical Medicine

a single image of an organ taken by a medical scanner.

a cross-sectional image of an internal organ or structure produced by MRI or CT scanning.

Example

The doctor looked at every slice of the brain scan to find the problem.

Example

The radiologist examined each individual slice of the CT scan to identify any subtle abnormalities in the patient's lung tissue.
- cross section
- scan
4 sports hit (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

a hit in sports like golf that makes the ball curve to one side.

a stroke that causes the ball to curve away from the player's midline due to lateral spin.

Example

His golf shot had a bad slice and landed in the tall grass.

Example

The tennis player used a backhand slice to keep the ball low and force her opponent into a difficult return.
- fade
- spin
- hook
- draw
5 to cut into pieces (v.)
B1 Intermediate

to cut something into thin, flat pieces.

to divide a solid object into thin, broad portions using a knife or blade.

Example

Could you slice the tomatoes for the salad while I cook the meat?

Example

The machine is designed to slice the ham with extreme precision, ensuring every piece is exactly two millimetres thick.
- combine
- join
6 to move through easily (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Literary

to move through something quickly and easily, like a boat through water.

to move through a medium with a sharp, clean motion.

Example

The sharp bow of the boat sliced through the calm water.

Example

The cold wind sliced through his thin jacket, making him regret leaving his coat at home.
- pierce
- cut through

Origin

From Middle English sclise, sklise, from Old French esclice, esclis (“a piece split off”), deverbal of esclicer, esclicier (“to splinter, split up”), from Frankish slitjan (“to split up”), from Proto-Germanic slitjaną, from Proto-Germanic slītaną (“to split, tear apart”), from Proto-Indo-European sleyd- (“to rend, injure, crumble”). Akin to Old High German sliz, gisliz (“a tear, rip”), Old High German slīȥan (“to tear”), Old English slītan (“to split up”), modern French éclisse. More at slite, slit.