Where does “slickster” come from?

slickster (English) comes from English slick, from Middle English slicke, from Old English slīc, from Proto-Germanic slīkaz, from Proto-Indo-European sleyǵ- — to glide, smooth, spread; to smear; to creep; to...

slickster (English): A slick person

Definitions

  1. A slick person

Ancestry of “slickster”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishslickSlippery or smooth due to a covering of liquid;...
2Middle Englishslicke—
3Old Englishslīcsleek, smooth; crafty, cunning, slick
4Proto-Germanicslīkazslick, smooth; sleek, smooth
5Proto-Indo-Europeansleyǵ-to glide, smooth, spread; to smear; to creep; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sleyǵ- →