slake •\ˈslak\• verb 1. satisfy (thirst) 2. make less active or intense 3. cause to heat and crumble by treatment with water The word slake has appeared in 13 New York Times articles in the past year, including on May 16 in the Wheels blog post "After Awkward Debut, Volkswagen Passat Finds Its Stride" by Jonathan Schultz: So popular has the sedan proved with American consumers that the automaker recently announced it would add 1,000 new manufacturing positions at its Chattanooga plant, where the Passat is assembled for the American market, to help slake demand. Corey Proffitt, a spokesman for VW, said the 2012 Passat was on pace to obliterate the single-year sales mark for the model, set in 2001, when 77,523 sedans left showrooms. Learn more about the word "slake" and see usage examples across a range of subjects on the Vocabulary dictionary.