Slender

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈslɛndə/

Definitions

1. Thin and gracefully delicate in build or form
2. Lacking in width, exhibiting a delicate and graceful quality either in physical stature or aesthetic appearance
3. possessing a narrowness that conveys elegance or refinement

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "slender" is that its original sense was closer to "slippery" than to "graceful." It traces back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "sliding, slippery," which also gave rise to the Proto-Indo-European root for "to slip." The idea of something that slides or slips easily is an odd starting point for a word now used to praise a willowy figure, but the link is there in the root. The path into English ran through Middle Dutch "slinder," meaning "thin, lank," and then Old French "esclendre," which carried the same sense of thinness. Middle English took the word as "slendre" or "sclendre," and the sense of narrowness and slightness stayed central as the word settled into use. Its relatives in German and Dutch show how the root spread into motion. German "schlendern" means to saunter or stroll, Low German "slindern" means to slide on ice, and Dutch "slinderen" means to wriggle or creep like a serpent. Each keeps some trace of the original idea of sliding or slipping, while "slender" itself moved toward describing a thin, lithe shape.

Synonyms: thin, narrow, slim, lean, lithe

Antonyms: thick, stout, bulky, wide, heavy