adj
lithe
Lithe (adj) means Slender without being thin to excess.
adj
1
Slender without being thin to excess.
"The coaches are grim, tan, lithe-looking women, clearly twirlers once, on the far side of their glory now and very serious-looking, each with a clipboard and whistle."
— David Foster Wallace, Getting Away From Already Pretty Much Being Away From It All (1997)
2
Able to bend and move easily.
"the elephant’s lithe trunk."
"Doolittle and myself waited. Colebrook kept on cautiously, squirming his long body in sinuous waves like a lizard's through the grass, and was soon lost to us. No snake could have been lither."
— Grant Allen, Arthur Conan Doyle (1900)
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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.
Related words
Rhymes for lithe
See all rhymes for lithe →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of lithe?
"lithe" (adj) means slender without being thin to excess.
What is another word for lithe?
Other words for "lithe" include lissom, supple, lissome, sinuous, lithesome.
What is the opposite of lithe?
Opposites of "lithe" include thick, rigid.
What are the different meanings of lithe?
"lithe" has 2 main meanings: 1. Slender without being thin to excess; 2. Able to bend and move easily.
