lithe

lithe
adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Old English līthe gentle; akin to Old High German lindi gentle, Latin lentus slow Date: 14th century 1. easily bent or flexed <
lithe steel
>
<
a lithe vine
>
2. characterized by easy flexibility and grace <
a lithe dancer
>
<
treading with a lithe silent step
>
; also athletically slim <
the most lithe and graspable of waists — R. P. Warren
>
lithely adverblitheness noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • lithe´ly — lithe «lyth», adjective. bending easily; supple: »lithe limbs, a lithe willow. An athlete should be lithe of body. SYNONYM(S): flexible, limber, pliant, lithesome, lissome, willowy. ╂[Old English līthe soft, mild] –lithe´ly, adverb. –lithe´ness …   Useful english dictionary

  • Lithe — Lithe, a. [AS. l[imac][eth]e, for lin[eth]e tender, mild, gentle; akin to G. lind, gelind, OHG. lindi, Icel. linr, L. lenis soft, mild, lentus flexible, and AS. linnan to yield. Cf. {Lenient}.] 1. Mild; calm; as, lithe weather. [Obs.] [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • -lithe — lithe, lithique ♦ Éléments, du gr. lithos « pierre » : aérolithe, galalithe, antilithique, etc. lith(o) , lithe, lite, lithique éléments, du gr. lithos, pierre . ⇒ LIT(H)E, ( LITE, LITHE), élém. formant Élém. terminal tiré du gr. « pierre »,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Lithe — Lithe, v. t. [AS. l[imac][eth]ian. See {Lithe}, a.] To smooth; to soften; to palliate. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Lithe — may refer to:* Lithe (programming language), an experimental programming language * Lithe (Middle earth), a fictional holiday in J. R. R. Tolkien s writings …   Wikipedia

  • Lithe — (l[imac][th]), v. t. & i. [Icel hl[=y][eth]a. See {Listen}.] To listen or listen to; to hearken to. [Obs.] P. Plowman. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • lithe — [laıð] adj [: Old English; Origin: gentle ] having a body that moves easily and gracefully ▪ the strong lithe bodies of gymnasts >lithely adv …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • lithe — [ laıð ] adjective moving and bending in a graceful way: He was as lithe and strong as an athlete …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • lithe — [līth′səmlīth] adj. lither, lithest [ME < OE lithe, soft, mild, akin to OHG lindi < IE base * lento , flexible, bendable > LINDEN, L lentus, pliant, flexible] bending easily; flexible; supple; limber; lissome: also lithesome [līth′səm]… …   English World dictionary

  • lithe — index flexible, malleable, pliable, pliant Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • lithe — (adj.) O.E. liðe soft, mild, gentle, meek, from P.Gmc. *linthja (Cf. O.S. lithi soft, mild, gentle, O.H.G. lindi, Ger. lind, O.N. linr, with characteristic loss of n before th in English), from PIE root *lent flexible (Cf. L. lentus …   Etymology dictionary

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