slim

See also slím

English

Etymology

From Dutch slim (“bad, sly, clever”), from Middle Dutch slim (“bad, crooked”), from Proto-Germanic *slembaz (“oblique, crooked”). Compare Middle High German slimp (“slanting, awry”) (German schlimm (“bad”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /slɪm/, X-SAMPA: /"slIm/

• 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”, 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. (South Africa) Sly, crafty.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:scrawny

Translations

slender

• Arabic: نحيل (ar) (naḥīl), نحيف (ar) (naḥīf)
• Catalan: prim (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 苗條 (cmn), 苗条 (cmn) (miáotiáo), 纖細 (cmn), 纤细 (cmn) (xiānxì)

• Czech: štíhlý (cs) m
• Danish: slank (da), tynd (da)
• Dutch: slank (nl), dun (nl)
• Finnish: hoikka (fi), laiha (fi)
• French: mince (fr)
• German: schlank (de)
• Hindi: पतला (hi) (patlā)

• Hungarian: karcsú (hu), vékony (hu)
• Indonesian: langsing, ramping
• Japanese: ほっそりした (ja) (hossori-shita)
• Latvian: slaids (lv), tievs (lv)
• Macedonian: слаб (mk) (slab) m, тенок (mk) (ténok) m
• Polish: szczupły (pl) m
• Russian: стройный (ru) (strójnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: caol (gd), seang (gd)
• Spanish: flaco (es), delgado (es)
• Urdu: پتلا (ur) (patlā)
• Volapük: lunedik (vo)

Noun

slim (plural slims)

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

   I only smoke slims.

2. (East Africa) 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^[1], volume Volume 1, edition 4th ed., ISBN 0198570147, 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; the white lady.

Alternative forms

• (AIDS): Slim

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

Translations

lose weight

• Dutch: vermageren, lijnen, aan de lijn doen, afslanken, diëten
• French: maigrir (fr), mincir (fr)
• Macedonian: слабее (mk) (slábee)

• Spanish: adelgazarse (es), enflaquecer (es), enflaquecerse (es), enflacar (es)
• Telugu: సన్నబడు (te) (sannabadu)

Anagrams

• mils
• SMIL

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Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse slím (“slime”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /sliːm/, [sliːˀm]

Noun

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

1. slime
2. mucus

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪm

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

slim (comparative slimmer, superlative slimst)

1. intelligent, bright
2. clever, smart

Declension

Declension of slim

		positive	comparative	superlative
				attributive	predicative/adverbial
predicative/adverbial		slim	slimmer
neuter singular	indefinite	slim	slimmer
	definite	slimme	slimmere	slimste	slimst, slimste
common singular		slimme	slimmere	slimste	slimste
plural		slimme	slimmere	slimste	slimste
partitive		slims	slimmers

Synonyms

• intelligent
• scherpzinnig
• schrander
• sluw

Derived terms

• slimmerd m, slimmerik m
• slimheid
• slimmigheid

See also

• German: schlimm (bad, terrible)

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West Frisian

Pronunciation

• IPA: /slɪm/

Adjective

slim

1. bad
2. dire
3. difficult