sleight

See also: Sleight

English

Etymology

From Middle English sleight, sleght, sleythe, from Old Norse slœgð (“cunning”), from Proto-Germanic *slōgiþō, from *slōgiz (“cunning”) (whence English sly). Doublet of slöjd/sloyd.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aɪt
• Homophones: slight

Noun

sleight (plural sleights)

1. Cunning; craft; artful practice.
2. An artful trick; sly artifice; a feat so dexterous that the manner of performance escapes observation.
3. Dexterous practice; dexterity; skill.

Related terms

• sleight of hand
• sleightly
• sleighty

Anagrams

• Leights

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Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English sliht.

Adjective

sleight

1. Alternative form of slight

Etymology 2

From Old Norse slœgð, from Proto-Germanic *slōgiþō; equivalent to sly +‎ -th.

Alternative forms

• sleght, sleythe, sleȝþe, sliþe, sleighte, scleighte, sleiht, sleþþe, sleyþe, slight, sleȝt, sleiȝt, slyȝt, sleigþe, sleygt, sleyt, sleiþe, sleyhte, slithe, sliȝþe, slyghte, scliȝt, sleihte, sleyght, sleyghte, slet, sleyȝte, sleyte, sliȝt

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slixt/, /slɛi̯xt/, /slɛi̯ð/

Noun

sleight (plural sleightes)

1. Wit, shrewdness, judiciousness; the state of being wise.
2. Adeptness, expertise; knowledge in a certain area.
3. Tactics, plans, preparation; the act of readying.
4. A tactic, approach, method, or accomplishment.
5. Work, labour, might; that which is expended on a task.
6. Detail; the finer or more intricate points of something.
7. Cunning, sleight; craft; artful practice.
8. An artful or deceiving trick; a sly artifice.
9. (rare) Something of extreme attractiveness.

Derived terms

• sleighty
• sleightly

Descendants

• English: sleight
• Scots: slicht

References

• “sleight, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-06-05.

Adjective

sleight

1. Judicious, considered, shrewd; having or indicative of great wisdom.
2. Sly, artful, wily; employing or being an example of deception.

References

• “sleight, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-06-05.