slim

Etymology

Borrowing from Dutch slim (“bad, sly, clever”), from Middle Dutch slim (“bad, crooked”), from Old Dutch *slimb, from Proto-Germanic *slimbaz (“oblique, crooked”). Compare Dutch slim (“smart, clever, crafty”) Middle High German slimp (“slanting, awry”), German schlimm (“bad”), West Frisian slim (“bad, dire”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slɪm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪm

Adjective

slim (comparative slimmer, superlative slimmest)

1. Slender, thin.
   1. (of a person or a person's build) Slender in an attractive way.

      Movie stars are usually slim, attractive, and young.

   2. (by extension, of clothing) Designed to make the wearer appear slim.
   3. (of an object) Long and narrow.
   4. (of a workforce) Of a reduced size, with the intent of being more efficient.
2. (of something abstract like a chance or margin) Very small, tiny.

   I'm afraid your chances are quite slim.

   • 2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC‎:

     Wolves' debatable third in the last 10 minutes, with the ball only crossing the line by the slimmest of margins if at all, ensured a cracking finale, although City would have been left aggrieved had they let the win slip.

3. (rural, Northern England, Scotland) Bad, of questionable quality; not strongly built, flimsy.

   A slimly-shod lad;

   a slimly-made cart.

4. (South Africa) Sly, crafty.

Noun

slim (plural slims)

1. A type of cigarette substantially longer and thinner than normal cigarettes.

   I only smoke slims.

2. (East Africa, uncountable) AIDS, or the chronic wasting associated with its later stages.
   • 2003, Charled F. Gilks, “HIV in the Developing World”, in David A. Warrell et al., editors, Oxford Textbook of Medicine‎, volume Volume 1, 4th ed. edition, →ISBN, page 446:

     As in the West, only about 50 per cent of patients with slim fully investigated will have a putative pathogen identified.

3. (slang, uncountable) Cocaine.

Verb

slim (third-person singular simple present slims, present participle slimming, simple past and past participle slimmed)

1. To lose weight in order to achieve slimness

Anagrams

• MILs, MSIL, SMIL, mils, misl

Etymology

From Old Norse slím (“slime”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sliːm/, [sliːˀm]

Noun

slim c, n (singular definite slimen or slimet, uncountable)

1. slime
2. mucus

Etymology

From Middle Dutch slim, slem, slimp, slemp, from Old Dutch *slimb, from Proto-Germanic *slimbaz (“oblique, crooked”), compare German schlimm (“bad”), English slim.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slɪm/
• Rhymes: -ɪm

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

slim (comparative slimmer, superlative slimst)

1. intelligent, bright
2. clever, smart

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slɪm/

Adjective

slim

1. bad
2. dire
3. difficult