Lithe Definition

līth
lither, lithest
adjective
lither, lithest
Bending easily; flexible; supple; limber; lissome.
Webster's New World
Marked by effortless grace.
A lithe ballet dancer.
American Heritage

Capable of being easily bent; pliant; flexible; limber.

The elephant's lithe proboscis.
Wiktionary

Slim but not skinny.

A lithe body.
Wiktionary
Antonyms:
verb

(intransitive, obsolete) To go.

Wiktionary

(intransitive, obsolete) To become calm.

Wiktionary

(obsolete) To make soft or mild; soften; alleviate; mitigate; lessen; smooth; palliate.

Wiktionary
To listen to.
Wiktionary
noun

(Scotland) Shelter.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Lithe

Adjective

Base Form:
lithe
Comparative:
lither
Superlative:
lithest

Origin of Lithe

  • From Middle English lithen, from Old English līþan (“to go, travel, sail, be bereft of"), from Proto-Germanic *līþanÄ… (“to go, leave, suffer"), from Proto-Indo-European *leit- (“to go, depart, die"). Cognate with North Frisian lyen, lye (“to suffer"), Dutch lijden (“to suffer, dree, abide"), German leiden (“to suffer, brook, permit"). See also lode, lead.

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English lithen, from Old Norse hlýða (“to listen"), from Proto-Germanic *hliuþijanÄ… (“to listen"), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlewe- (“to hear"). Cognate with Danish lytte (“to listen"). Related to Old English hlÄ“oþor (“noise, sound, voice, song, hearing"), Old English hlÅ«d (“loud, noisy, sounding, sonorous"). More at loud.

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English, from Old English līþe (“gentle, mild"), from Proto-Germanic *linþiz, from Proto-Indo-European *lento. Akin to Danish and German lind (“mild"), Icelandic linr (“soft to the touch"). Not attested in Gothic nor Old Norse. Some sources list also Latin lenis (“soft"), others Latin lentus (“supple").

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English lithen, from Old English līþian, līþiÄ¡ian (“to soften, calm, mitigate, assuage, appease, be mild"), from Proto-Germanic *linþēnÄ…, *lenþēnÄ… (“to soften"), from Proto-Indo-European *lento- (“bendsome, resilient").

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old English līthe flexible, mild

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Origin uncertain; perhaps an alteration of lewth.

    From Wiktionary

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