Sley

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Sley, n. [AS. sl, fr. sleán to strike. See Slay, v. t.].

•  A weaver's reed.  [1913 Webster]
•  A guideway in a knitting machine.  Knight.  [1913 Webster]
•  The number of ends per inch in the cloth, provided each dent in the reed in which it was made contained an equal number of ends.  E. Whitworth.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

Sley, v. t. 

 To separate or part the threads of, and arrange them in a reed; -- a term used by weavers. See Sleave, and Sleid.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Sley, n. (also slay) a weaver's reed.

Etymology

OE slege, rel. to SLAY(1)