thin

I. adjective (thinner; thinnest) Etymology: Middle English thinne, from Old English thynne; akin to Old High German dunni thin, Latin tenuis thin, tenēre to hold, tendere to stretch, Greek teinein Date: before 12th century 1. a. having little extent from one surface to its opposite <

thin paper

> b. measuring little in cross section or diameter <

thin rope

> 2. not dense in arrangement or distribution <

thin hair

> 3. not well fleshed ; lean 4. a. more fluid or rarefied than normal <

thin air

> b. having less than the usual number ; scanty <

thin attendance

> c. few in number ; scarce d. scantily supplied e. characterized by a paucity of bids or offerings <

a thin market

> 5. a. lacking substance or strength <

thin broth

> <

a thin plot

> b. of a soil infertile, poor 6. a. flimsy, unconvincing <

a thin disguise

> b. disappointingly poor or hard <

had a thin time of it

> 7. somewhat feeble, shrill, and lacking in resonance <

a thin voice

> 8. lacking in intensity or brilliance <

thin light

> 9. lacking sufficient photographic density or contrast • thinly adverb • thinness noun • thinnish adjective Synonyms: thin, slender, slim, slight, tenuous mean not thick, broad, abundant, or dense. thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance <

thin wire

> <

a thin soup

>. slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion <

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

>. slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness <

a slim volume of poetry

> <

a slim chance

>. slight implies smallness as well as thinness <

a slight build

>. tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness <

a tenuous thread

>. II. verb (thinned; thinning) Date: before 12th century transitive verb to make thin or thinner: a. to reduce in thickness or depth ; attenuate b. to make less dense or viscous c. dilute, weaken d. to cause to lose flesh <

thinned by weeks of privation

> e. to reduce in number or bulk intransitive verb 1. to become thin or thinner 2. to become weak III. adverb (thinner; thinnest) Date: 13th century in a thin manner ; thinly — used especially in combination <

thin-clad

> <

thin-flowing

>