Where does “slink” come from?
Slink comes from Middle English slynken, from Old English slincan, from Proto-Germanic slinkaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots sel- and ser- meaning to turn or twist.
slink (English): To sneak about furtively; To give birth to an...
Definitions
- To sneak about furtively; To give birth to an...
Ancestry of “slink”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | slynken | — |
| 2 | Old English | slincan | to crawl, slink |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | slinkan | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | slinkaną | To creep; crawl; slink |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sleng- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sel- | dwelling; piece of wood; beam, post, balk, board,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ser- | to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together |