Emily Dickinson Lexicon

slay (slain, slew), v. [OE sléan.] (webplay: death, lay, stone, strike).

1. Kill; deprive of physical life.
2. Smite; undo; change; transform through death to new life; [fig.] overcome; vanquish; destroy symbolically; cause to expire; overwhelm with sublime beauty.
3. End; finish; terminate; cause to cease; bring to a close.
4. Squelch; squash; [fig.] repress; try to forget.
5. Devastate; lay waste by grief; leave desolate due to loss of a loved one or loved ones.