smicker

English

Etymology

From Middle English smiker, from Old English smicer, smicor (“beauteous, beautiful, elegant, fair, fine, neat, tasteful”), from Proto-Germanic *smikraz (“fine, elegant, delicate, tender”), from Proto-Indo-European *smēyg- (“small, delicate”), from Proto-Indo-European *smē-, *smey- (“to smear, stroke, wipe, rub”). Cognate with Middle High German smecker (“neat, elegant”), Ancient Greek σμικρός (smikrós), μικρός (mikrós, “small, short”), Lithuanian smeigti (“to lunge, thrust, jab”), Latin mīca (“crumb, morsel, bit”).

For the verb, compare Swedish smickra (“to flatter, coax, wheedle, butter up”), Danish smigre (“to flatter”).

Adjective

smicker (comparative more smicker, superlative most smicker)

1. Elegant; fine; gay.
   • (Can we date this quote by John Ford and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     No, his deep-reaching spirit could not brook
     The fond addiction to such vanity;
     Regardful of his honour he forsook
     The smicker use of court-humanity.

2. Amorous; wanton.
3. Spruce; smart.
   • (Can we date this quote by Lodge and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     A smicker boy, a lither swain,
     Heigh ho, a smicker swain,
     That his love was wanton fain, […]

Verb

smicker (third-person singular simple present smickers, present participle smickering, simple past and past participle smickered)

1. (intransitive) To look amorously or wantonly

Derived terms

• smickering
• smickly

Anagrams

• Emricks, Remicks