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Webster 1913 Edition

Slender

Slen′der

,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Slenderer
;
sup
erl.
Slenderest
.]
[OE.
slendre
,
sclendre
, fr. OD.
slinder
thin, slender, perhaps through a French form; cf. OD.
slinderen
,
slidderen
, to creep; perh. akin to E.
slide
.]
1.
Small or narrow in proportion to the length or the height; not thick; slim;
as, a
slender
stem or stalk of a plant
.
“A slender, choleric man.”
Chaucer.
She, as a veil down to the
slender
waist,
Her unadorned golden tresses wore.
Milton.
2.
Weak; feeble; not strong; slight;
as,
slender
hope; a
slender
constitution
.
Mighty hearts are held in
slender
chains.
Pope.
They have inferred much from
slender
premises.
J. H. Newman.
The
slender
utterance of the consonants.
J. Byrne.
3.
Moderate; trivial; inconsiderable; slight;
as, a man of
slender
intelligence
.
A
slender
degree of patience will enable him to enjoy both the humor and the pathos.
Sir W. Scott.
4.
Small; inadequate; meager; pitiful;
as,
slender
means of support; a
slender
pittance
.
Frequent begging makes
slender
alms.
Fuller.
5.
Spare; abstemious; frugal;
as, a
slender
diet
.
The good Ostorius often deigned
To grace my
slender
table with his presence.
Philips.
6.
(Phon.)
Uttered with a thin tone; – the opposite of broad;
as, the
slender
vowels long
e
and
i
.
–
Slen′der-ly
,
adv.
–
Slen′der-ness
,
Noun.

Webster 1828 Edition

Slender

SLEN'DER

,
Adj.
1.
Thin; small in circumference compared with the length; not thick; as a slender stem or stalk of a plant.
2.
Small in the waist; not thick or gross. A slender waist is considered as a beauty.
3.
Not strong; small; slight. Mighty hearts are held in slender chains.
4.
Weak; feeble; as slender hope; slender probabilities; a slender constitution.
5.
Small; inconsiderable; as a man of slender parts.
6.
Small; inadequate; as slender means of support; a slender pittance.
7.
Not amply supplied. The good Ostorius often deign'd to grace my slender table.
8.
Spare; abstemious; as a slender diet.

Definition 2025

slender

slender

English

Adjective

slender ‎(comparative slenderer, superlative slenderest)

  1. Thin; slim.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 3, in The China Governess:
      Sepia Delft tiles surrounded the fireplace, their crudely drawn Biblical scenes in faded cyclamen blending with the pinkish pine, while above them, instead of a mantelshelf, there was an archway high enough to form a balcony with slender balusters and a tapestry-hung wall behind.
    A rod is a long slender pole used for angling.‎
  2. (figuratively) meagre; deficient
    Being a person of slender means, he was unable to afford any luxuries.
  3. (Gaelic languages) Palatalized.

Synonyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:scrawny

Antonyms

  • (palatalized): broad
  • See also Wikisaurus:obese

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English slendre, sclendre, from Old French esclendre ‎(“thin, slender”), from Old Dutch slinder ‎(“thin, lank”), from Proto-Germanic *slindraz ‎(“sliding, slippery”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleydʰ- ‎(“to slip”). Cognate with Bavarian Schlenderling ‎(“that which dangles”), German schlendern ‎(“to saunter, stroll”), Dutch slidderen, slinderen ‎(“to wriggle, creep like a serpent”), Low German slindern ‎(“to slide on ice”). More at slide, slither.

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɛndə(r)

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