Wiriest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Displaying the most agile or slender physique that is exceptionally lean in appearance
2. embodying a state of being very thin yet full of energy
3. characterizing someone who has a wiry strength, being both nimble and tough in a compact form

Etymology: "Wiriest" is the superlative of "wiry", so its history is really the history of "wiry" with the ending "-est" attached. "Wiry" is formed from "wire" plus the suffix "-y", meaning "made of or resembling wire." The root "wire" traces back through Old English and Germanic forms to a prehistoric Indo-European base, and the adjective shows the same pattern as "wire" itself: something drawn thin and tough. The superlative takes its meaning from that adjective. A "wiry" person or thing is lean and sinewy, with strength that seems to lie in tough, compact fibre rather than bulk, so "wiriest" describes the most thin-yet-strong example in a group.

Synonyms: most wiry, leanest, toughest, strongest, hardiest

Antonyms: weakest, softest, heaviest, fattest, flabbier