lithe · adj — mild; calm. It carries an Arena rating of 1869, earned across 42 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, lithe ranks #253 of 17,134 for Most Elegant Words, #1,269 of 17,135 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,177 of 17,144 for Most Malleable Words, #2,315 of 17,135 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
lithe is pronounced /laɪð/.
Why “lithe” is a great word
Bending or moving with effortless grace and flexibility; supple. From Middle English lithe, from Old English līþe ("gentle, mild"), from Proto-West Germanic *linþ(ī), from Proto-Germanic *linþaz ("gentle, mild"), from Proto-Indo-European *lentos ("slow, supple"). Unlike "lanky," which emphasizes a tall and often awkward leanness, or "stiff," its rigid antithesis, lithe describes a controlled, inherent pliability. It is the willow branch yielding to the wind and springing back unbroken, the arc of a diver cleaving the air without a splash, the silent coil of a predator before the pounce—a readiness so complete it becomes a form of repose, as if grace were a form of memory.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle English lithe, from Old English līþe (“gentle, mild”), from Proto-West Germanic *linþ(ī), from Proto-Germanic *linþaz, from Proto-Indo-European *lentos. Akin to Saterland Frisian lied (“thin, skinny, gaunt”), Danish, Dutch, and archaic German lind (“mild”). Some sources also list Latin lenis (“soft”) and/or Latin lentus (“supple”) as possible cognates.
adj
- Mild; calm.e.g.“lithe weather”
- Slim but not skinny.e.g.“lithe body”
- Capable of being easily bent; flexible.e.g.“the elephant’s lithe trunk.”
- Adaptable.
verb
- To become calm.
- To make soft or mild; soften; alleviate; mitigate; lessen; smooth; palliate.e.g.“England.. hath now suppled, lithed and stretched their throats.” — a. 1652, Thomas Adams, Physic from Heaven:
- To attend; listen, hearken.
- To listen to, hearken to.
- to thicken (gravy, etc.)e.g.“lithe widely used as a verb in nEng Sc and Ir, as a noun only in Cu” — 1902, Joseph Wright, The English Dialect Dictionary, Oxford University Press, page 624:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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