Where does “slim” come from?

slim (Middle English) comes from Old English slīm, from Proto-Germanic slīmą, from Proto-Indo-European sley- — smooth; slick; sticky; slimy; to smear.

Ancestry of “slim”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishslīmslime
2Proto-Germanicslīmąslime; mucus
3Proto-Indo-Europeansley-smooth; slick; sticky; slimy; to smear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sley- →Every word from Proto-Germanic slīmą →Every word from Old English slīm →