Sliders

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of footwear characterized by an open back and a flat sole, often worn casually in warm weather
2. Small, elongated pieces of food typically served in a bun and enjoyed as appetizers or snacks
3. A control mechanism on a user interface that allows adjustment within a range, often represented by a sliding bar

Etymology: The word "sliders" is simply the plural of "slider," which is built from the verb "slide" plus the agent suffix "-er," meaning one that slides. The footwear sense is the one most people now associate with it: a backless shoe with a flat sole, meant for loose, easy wear. The word has a more surprising second life as a name for food. At the White Castle hamburger chain, the small, onion-steamed burgers were once spelled "Slyder," and the name stuck to small hamburgers generally. How the spelling changed from "Slyder" to "slider" is not recorded here, but the modern noun now reads as the same word as the one for the sandal.

Synonyms: gliders, shifters, movers