Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “slincan” come from?

slincan (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic slinkan, from Proto-Germanic slinkaną, from Proto-Indo-European sleng-, from Proto-Indo-European sel-, from Proto-Indo-European ser- — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.

slincan (Old English): to crawl, slink

Definitions

  1. to crawl, slink

Ancestry of “slincan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicslinkan—
2Proto-GermanicslinkanąTo creep; crawl; slink
3Proto-Indo-Europeansleng-—
4Proto-Indo-Europeansel-dwelling; piece of wood; beam, post, balk, board,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

Words derived from “slincan”

  • slunk
  • slink
  • slinky
  • slinkily
  • slinker
  • slinketh
  • slinkiness
  • slinkest
  • slynken
  • sclynken
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →