'slowpoke' originates from the combination of 'slow' and 'poke,' where 'poke' was used in the 19th century to refer to a person who is slow or lazy.

'slowpoke' was first recorded in American English in the 1840s, combining 'slow' with 'poke,' a term for a lazy person.

Initially, it meant 'a lazy or slow person,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.