sclendre

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Probably a borrowing from rare Anglo-Norman esclendre,[1] from Middle Dutch slinder (“thin”),[2] from Proto-Germanic *slindraz (“slippery”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈs(k)lɛndrə/, /ˈs(k)lɛndər/

Adjective

sclendre

  1. Scrawny, haggard, gaunt.
    • late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, General Prologue, The Canterbury Tales, line 587-588:
      The Reve was a sclendre colerik man,
      His berd was shave as ny as ever he can.
      The Reeve was a slender choleric man,
      His beard was shaved as close as ever he can.
    • late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Monk's Prologue, The Canterbury Tales, line 3147-3148:
      ‘This maketh that our heires been so sclendre
      And feble, that they may nat wel engendre.’
      ‘This makes our heirs to be so scrawny
      And feeble that they can not well beget children.’
  2. Thin, slender, slim.
  3. (figuratively) Weak, fragile, meagre.
  4. (rare) Young, not grown.

Descendants

  • English: slender
    • → Spanish: slender (Puerto Rico)
  • Middle Scots: sclender, sklender, sklendir
  • Yola: slendeare

References

  1. ^ “sclendre, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. ^ Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “slinder”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 17: Germanismes: S–Z, page 147
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