Where does “slick” come from?

Slick comes from Middle English slike and sliken, from Old English slīcian, traced to the Proto-Indo-European root sleyg-.

slick (English): Slippery or smooth due to a covering of liquid;...

Definitions

  1. Slippery or smooth due to a covering of liquid;...

Ancestry of “slick”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishslicke—
2Old Englishslīcsleek, smooth; crafty, cunning, slick
3Proto-Germanicslīkazslick, smooth; sleek, smooth
4Proto-Indo-Europeansleyǵ-to glide, smooth, spread; to smear; to creep; to...

Words derived from “slick”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sleyǵ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic slīkaz →Every word from Old English slīc →