adj
Meaning 1
Thin; lean
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Scotland
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: slunken
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
slink
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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.
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UK: /slɪŋk/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɪŋk
noun
Meaning 2
A furtive sneaking motion.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
The young of an animal when born prematurely, especially a calf.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
The meat of such a prematurely born animal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A bastard child, one born out of wedlock.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A thievish fellow; a sneak.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Scotland, UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
To sneak about furtively.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To give birth to an animal prematurely.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive
Examples
- a cow that slinks her calf
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
walk stealthily
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- I saw a cougar slinking toward its prey
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: walk
History
Etymology
From Middle English slynken, sclynken, from Old English slincan (“to creep; crawl”), from Proto-Germanic *slinkaną (“to creep; crawl”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleng-, *slenk- (“to turn; wind; twist”), from Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“to sneak; crawl”). Cognate with West Frisian slinke, Dutch slinken (“to shrink; shrivel”), Low German slinken, Swedish slinka (“to glide”). Compare also German schleichen (“to slink”). More at sleek.
Across languages
Translations
26 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Czech: nedonošené mládě — the young of an animal when born prematurely
- Czech: zmetek — the young of an animal when born prematurely
- German: Frühgeburt — the young of an animal when born prematurely
- Russian: недоно́сок (nedonósok) — the young of an animal when born prematurely
- Bulgarian: промъквам се (promǎkvam se) — sneak about furtively
- Bulgarian: прокрадвам се (prokradvam se) — sneak about furtively
- Czech: plížit se — sneak about furtively
- Czech: odplížit se — sneak about furtively
- Czech: krást se — sneak about furtively
- Czech: vykrást se — sneak about furtively
- Czech: vytratit se — sneak about furtively
- Dutch: sluipen — sneak about furtively
- Finnish: hiipiä — sneak about furtively
- German: schleichen — sneak about furtively
- Italian: sgattaiolare — sneak about furtively
- Māori: whakahengi — sneak about furtively
- Polish: skradać się — sneak about furtively
- Portuguese: espreitar — sneak about furtively
- Romanian: furișa — sneak about furtively
- Romanian: strecura — sneak about furtively
- Romanian: fofila — sneak about furtively
- Russian: кра́сться (krástʹsja) — sneak about furtively
- Russian: подкра́дываться (podkrádyvatʹsja) — sneak about furtively
- Russian: шныря́ть (šnyrjátʹ) — sneak about furtively
- Serbo-Croatian: šunjati se — sneak about furtively
- Serbo-Croatian: krasti se — sneak about furtively