slender means thin; slim. It carries an Arena rating of 1650, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, slender ranks #5,942 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #6,596 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #7,692 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #9,326 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words.
slender is pronounced /ˈslɛndə/.
Why “slender” is a great word
Having a small width in proportion to height or length; gracefully thin. From Middle English slendre, sclendre, from Old French esclendre ("thin, slender"), from Middle Dutch slinder ("thin, lank"), from Proto-Germanic *slindraz ("sliding, slippery"), from Proto-Indo-European *sleydʰ- ("to slip"), first recorded in English in the late 14th century. Unlike "skinny" (which suggests an unattractive or unhealthy thinness) or "strapping" (which evokes sturdy, robust bulk), slender carries an inherent elegance—a geometry of grace. It is the willow bending over still water, the cool glide of a silver spoon, the precise narrowing of a champagne flute; a quality of tenuous and beautiful economy, as if the essence of the thing has been refined almost to the point of vanishing.
Etymology
From Middle English slendre, sclendre, from Old French esclendre (“thin, slender”), from Middle 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.
adj
- Thin; slim.e.g.“A rod is a long slender pole used for angling.”
- Meagre; deficient.e.g.“Being a person of slender means, he was unable to afford any luxuries.”
- Palatalized.
noun
- A simple country gentleman.e.g.“[…] the fantastic pilgrimages imposed on the "Cousin Slenders" of the world by their more facetious comrades […]” — 1833, James Anthony Froude, John Tulloch, Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country, volume 7, page 427:
verb
- To attenuate.e.g.“Rolled-up sleeves bared her strong forearms, which slendered down when they came to the wrists and hands.” — 1954, Elizabeth Bowen, A World of Love, page 38:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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