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Sleuthful(l, Slouthful(l, adj. Also: sleuthe-, sleutht-, sleuch-, sleugh-, schleuch-, slewth-, sleouth-, slueth-, sleuith-, sleith-, sluth-, slowth-, slought-, slooth-, sloth-, slauch- and -faa. [Late ME and e.m.E. sleuthful(l, sloutheful, slowtfull (all c1400), slouthfull (Caxton), slothful (Palsgrave); Sleuth n.¹]

1. Of a person or (once) an animal: Negligent, careless; lazy, idle, lacking in diligence; inactive, slow. a. predic.Also const. in (doing something), to do (something), towards (someone).(1) 1455 Acts II 44/1.
Ande thai will nocht be sleuthfull thaim self for to be warnyt of thir fyris thai sall wit thar cumyng our Tweide 1478 Acts Lords of Council I 17/2.
The persouns foresaide was sleuthefull & comperit nocht to thair defence quhen thai war summond c1489 Liber Aberbr. II 264.
Sleuithful 1490 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. II 338.
Sleuthtfull 1499–1500 (c1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I 77.
That every person … clenge thair said hous … and quhat persoun that beis convict be ane inqueist slewthfaa a heirintill and doand in the contrare heirof, … sall be pvnist 1500–1 Ayr Friars Pr. Chart. 67.
Geif … the said priour [etc.] … be negligent remis or slewthfull 1535 Stewart 33684.
Full of negligence, Sleuthfull and sueir, withoutin diligence 1553 Knox III 373.
A scharpe spur priking me when ells I wald be sleuchfull a1568 Bannatyne MS 87a/34.
Be nocht sleuthfull both weill thi tyme expend 1572 Crail B. Ct. MS 6 Oct.
Yff … ony off the said officiaris … be negligent or sleuthfull … the said officiar sall tyne his office 1596 Dalr. I 286/24.
Ydle, sueir, and sleuthfull c1614 Mure Dido & Æneas i 516.
Each with a sev'rall work employ'd tak paine None sluethfull in the citty do remaine 1615 Highland P. III 261.
If … yow … kythe slewthfull or vndeutifull 1619 Garden Elphinstoun 274.
At no tyme ydill fund, Nor slewthfull sene to sit 1622-6 Bisset I 51/26.(b) 1515 Douglas Corr. 69.
Ȝe haf beyne over slowthfull, that sa lang tyme ȝe beand in Ingland, ther hes beyne nocht doyne 1548 Balnaves in Knox III 23.
Sloughtful 1559–60 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries XI 523.
Albeit we had bene slouthfull or committit falt 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 88/21. 1615 Highland P. III 284.
If ȝour lo[rdship] sall kythe cairles or slouthfull and sluggishe(2) 1484 Acts Lords Auditors *145/2.
Thai war sleuthfull & necligent in the execucioun of thar office 1533 Acts Sederunt i 15.
Slewthfull 1579–80 Inverness Rec. I 276.
In case thai be fundin sleuthfull in owerseing [etc.] 1584–5 Reg. Privy C. III 721.
Curreouris wer sleuthfull in … delyvering of … letters c1610 Melville Mem. 389.
Cairles and sleuthfull in his affaires 1630 Gordon Geneal. Hist. 186.
The king young and his officers so sleughfull and negligent in ther function(b) 1496–7 Acts Lords of Council II 68.
That the sade Anthone was negligent and sleithfull in the rasing of the letters(c) 1552 Edinb. B. Rec. II 174.
Gyf thay be fund sluthfull … or fraudfull in ony vther poyntis of thair office(d) 1583 Lanark B. Rec. 89.
Neklegent in punissing offenderis(e) 1646 Bk. Old Edinb. C. XX 78.
Thair predecessours … have been very cairless and slauchfull in manadging and governing the craftis estaite(3) 1543 Corr. M. Lorraine 41.
The quhilk I will never be slowthfull to fulfill gif [etc.] 1568–9 Inverness Rec. I 173.
The … lawfull airis … being sleouthfull to craiff his intre [etc.](4) 1597 James VI Dæmonol. (STS) 35/12.
If he [sc. the magistrate] be slouthfull towardes them, God is verie able to make them instrumentes to … punish his slouth

b. attrib.a1499 Contemplacioun of Synnaris 1397 (Asl.).
Sleuthfull sottis sompnolent 1509 Acta Conc. MS XX fol. 208-9 in Dumfr. & Galloway Soc. XVI 98.
That his grantshir wes ane sleuthfull [MS Interlocutor (1511), schleuchfull] man and pretermittit it 1513 Doug. xiii i 120.
[They] fant folkis and sleuthfull dyd thame call 1528 Lynd. Dreme 890.
The sleuthful hird dois sloug and sleip, Taking no cure in kepyng of his floke 1529 Lynd. Complaynt 405.
Sleuthfull idyll lownis a1561 Norvell Meroure 47a.
I sinner sleuthfull and slack 1562-3 Winȝet I 3/10.
Ane schip … gydit … be sleuthfull marinaris and sleipand sterismen 1570 Satirical Poems x 236.
In Lochleuin scho wes put … Thocht efterwart scho had ane sleuthfull gaird 1583 Sempill Warning viii.
Quhat sleuthfull foull is he that takis na cair Bot spairs his fa quhan he may be ovirtane a1603 Anc. Prophecies 14.
The slewthfull slewthound shal slay him for euer(b) a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 3.
Ane sloothful man is ane beggers brothe[r]

c. absol. as noun.1513 Doug. iv vii 88.
Sum the sleuthful chasteis, that thocht irk Of thar labour 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 88/8.
All punishement aganis the sleuthfull [v.r. slouthfull] that the lau uill permitte 1621-40 Melville Commonpl. Bk. 49.
The sleuthfull nevir yit ateind To honour wealth nor fame 1624 Edinb. Univ. MS La. ii 319.
The slouthfull never ȝit atainet Till honour wealth nor fame

2. Of habits, etc. a. Tautologically, of sleep. b. Characterised by negligence, indolence or sluggishness. Freq. used tautologically.a. c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace vii 348.
In thair brawnys sone slaid the sleuthfull sleip 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 1337.
Thay fell on sleuthfull sleipb. 1533 Bell. Livy I 9/17.
How sleuthfull war the maneris of Romanis, quhen morall disciplynis began to failȝe 1529 Lynd. Complaynt 21.
Blamand my sleuthfull neclygence, That seikis nocht sum recompence c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1264.
Sleuthfull ydilnes 1555 Knox IV 218.
Thair fervencie doith sa ravische me that I can not but … condemp my sleuthfull coldnes 1562-3 Winȝet I 5/21.
The trew religion be ȝour sleuthful dominion … is … corruptit 1563-1570 Buch. Wr. 36.(b) a1578 Pitsc. I 130/10.
This Henrie throw his sluthfull negliegence … had lost France(c) c1546 G. Wishart in Misc. Wodrow Soc. 22.
We rejecte … this slouthful and slouggishe sorte of lyfe 1668 Melrose Reg. Rec. II 209.
[4 bolls of oats eaten by the defender's beasts] throw ther slouthefull hirding