What does slash and burn mean?

slash and burn

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.60 in modern English

Syllables: slash and burn
IPA

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Rough, coarse and lacking finesse, performed with little skill.

noun

A technique in agriculture where plant matter is roughly cut down and then burned over to prepare fields for the next crop.

Uncountable

verb

To apply the slash and burn technique.

Example Sentences

"His slash and burn approach to management resulted in few friends and many enemies."
"We'll slash and burn this week and plant next."
"Villagers fled into the bush, setting up temporary camps. A few live there still, slashing and burning to create small clearings, growing what they can, then moving on."

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

slash-and-burn (alternative) slashes and burns (present, singular) slashing and burning (participle, present) slashed and burned (participle, past) slashed and burned (past) slashed and burnt (participle, past) slashed and burnt (past)

Phrases

burn-beat crash and burn

Frequently Paired Words

burn-beat crash and burn jhum