slain

Slain is the past participle of the verb slay and is used as an adjective meaning killed, typically by violence. It also appears as a noun phrase, as in the phrase the slain, to refer collectively to people who have been killed, usually in the context of battle, massacre, or other violent events.

Etymology and form: Slain originates from Old English slæan/slēan, related to Dutch slaan and German schlagen. The standard past tense of slay is slew, while slain remains the past participle and is used with auxiliary verbs (has slain, had slain) and as an attributive adjective (slain soldiers).

Usage and nuance: In modern English, slain is common in formal, historical, or ceremonial writing and in journalism when recounting casualties. It emphasizes violent death rather than a nonviolent or accidental death. It is distinct from synonyms like killed or murdered in its emphasis on death resulting from combat or collective violence. Phrases such as the slain soldiers, the slain city’s inhabitants, or the slain in battle are typical uses.

See also: Slay, slew, killed, murder, casualties, obituaries, battle narratives. Slain is not typically used in casual speech; rather, it appears in more formal or literary contexts to convey the gravity of death in violence.