lithe

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

• /laɪð/
  Play
• UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  Play
• rhymes with -aɪð
  Play
• CMU ARPABET: L AY1 DH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  Play

From Middle English lithe, from Old English līþe (“gentle, mild”), from Proto-West Germanic *linþ(ī), from Proto-Germanic *linþaz, from Proto-Indo-European *lentos. Akin to Saterland Frisian lied (“thin, skinny, gaunt”), Danish, Dutch, and archaic German lind (“mild”). Some sources also list Latin lenis (“soft”) and/or Latin lentus (“supple”) as possible cognates.

Uncertain; perhaps an alteration of lewth.

From Middle English lithen, from Old English līþian, līþigian, līþegian (“to soften, calm, mitigate, assuage, appease, be mild”), from Proto-West Germanic *linþijan, from Proto-Germanic *linþijaną (“to soften”), from Proto-Indo-European *lento- (“bendsome, resilient”). Cognate with German lindern (“to alleviate, ease, relieve”).

From Middle English lithen, from Old Norse hlýða (“to listen”), from Proto-Germanic *hliuþijaną (“to listen”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“to hear”). Cognate with Danish lytte (“to listen”). Related to Old English hlēoþor (“noise, sound, voice, song, hearing”), Old English hlūd (“loud, noisy, sounding, sonorous”). More at loud.

From Middle English lithen (“to make gentle or mild; to relax, soothe”), from Old English līþan (“to assuage, mitigate, soften”), from līþe (“lithe, gentle”).

38 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: лек (lek) — mild, calm
• Dutch: kalm — mild, calm
• Dutch: rustig — mild, calm
• German: ruhig — mild, calm
• German: mild — mild, calm
• Portuguese: calmo — mild, calm
• Portuguese: tranquilo — mild, calm
• Swedish: lugn — mild, calm
• Bulgarian: строен (stroen) — slim
• Dutch: slank — slim
• Finnish: solakka — slim
• French: svelte — slim
• French: élancé — slim
• German: schlank — slim
• Irish: scaoilte — slim
• Latvian: slaids — slim
• Swedish: smärt — slim
• Swedish: slank — slim
• Ottoman Turkish: ضعیف (zaʼif) — slim
• Ottoman Turkish: نازك (nâzik) — slim
• Bulgarian: гъвкав (gǎvkav) — flexible
• Bulgarian: подвижен (podvižen) — flexible
• Czech: ohebný — flexible
• Czech: pružný — flexible
• Czech: poddajný — flexible
• Dutch: soepel — flexible
• Finnish: notkea — flexible
• Finnish: taipuisa — flexible
• Finnish: norja — flexible
• French: souple — flexible
• German: elastisch — flexible
• Hungarian: hajlékony — flexible
• Hungarian: ruganyos — flexible
• Irish: scaoilte — flexible
• Irish: ligthe — flexible
• Māori: moruki — flexible
• Swedish: smidig — flexible
• Swedish: böjlig — flexible