Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “slender” come from?

Slender comes from Middle English slendre, from Old French esclendre, from Old Dutch slinder, from Proto-Germanic slindraz, from Proto-Indo-European sleydʰ-.

slender (English): Thin; slim; meagre; deficient; Palatalized

Definitions

  1. Thin; slim; meagre; deficient; Palatalized

Ancestry of “slender”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishslendre—
2Old Frenchesclendrethin, slender
3Old Dutchslinderthin, lank
4Proto-Germanicslindrazsliding, slippery
5Proto-Indo-Europeansleydʰ-to slip, slide; to be slippery, slick

Words derived from “slender”

  • slenderness
  • slenderly
  • slenderize
  • slenderization
  • unslender
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sleydʰ- →