Where does “slinkily” come from?
slinkily (English) comes from English slinky, from English slink, from Middle English slynken, from Old English slincan, from Proto-West Germanic slinkan, from Proto-Germanic slinkaną, from Proto-Indo-European sleng-, from Proto-Indo-European sel- — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.
slinkily (English): In a slinky way
Definitions
- In a slinky way
Ancestry of “slinkily”, step by step
slinkily traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English slinky
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | slinky | Furtive, stealthy or catlike; Thin; lank; lean;... |
| 2 | English | slink | To sneak about furtively; To give birth to an... |
| 3 | Middle English | slynken | — |
| 4 | Old English | slincan | to crawl, slink |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | slinkan | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | slinkaną | To creep; crawl; slink |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sleng- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sel- | dwelling; piece of wood; beam, post, balk, board,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ser- | to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together |