slight

English Online Dictionary. What means slight‎? What does slight mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English slight (“bad, of poor quality, unimportant, trivial, slender, slim, smooth, level”), from Old English sliht (“smooth, level”), from Proto-Germanic *slihtaz (“slippery, flat, level, plain”), related to English slick. Cognate with Scots slicht (“bad, of poor quality”), West Frisian sljocht (“smooth, level, plain, simple”), Dutch slecht (“bad”), Low German slecht (“bad”), German schlecht (“bad”) and schlicht (“plain, artless, natural”), Danish slet (“bad, evil, poor, nasty, wrong”), Swedish slät (“smooth”), Norwegian slett (“even”), Icelandic sléttur (“even, smooth, level”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: slīt, IPA^(key): /slaɪt/
• (US) IPA^(key): [sl̥ɐɪʔ]
• Rhymes: -aɪt
• Homophone: sleight

Adjective

slight (comparative slighter, superlative slightest)

1. Small.

   Synonyms: ignorable, meaningless, negligible, tiny; see also Thesaurus:tiny, Thesaurus:insignificant

   1. Gentle or weak, not aggressive or powerful.
   2. Not thorough; superficial.

   3. Trifling; unimportant; insignificant.
   4. (archaic or rare) Not far away in space or time.

2. Of slender build.

   Synonyms: lithe, svelte, willowy; see also Thesaurus:slender
3. (regional) Even, smooth or level.

   Synonyms: flat, glassy, slick; see also Thesaurus:smooth

4. (especially said of the sea) Still; with little or no movement on the surface.

5. (obsolete) Foolish; silly; not intellectual.

   Synonyms: daft, fatuous, soft in the head; see also Thesaurus:foolish
6. (regional, obsolete) Bad, of poor quality.

   Synonyms: flimsy, lousy, shoddy; see also Thesaurus:low-quality

   • 1889 (first published), George Washington, Writings

     we frequently have slight Goods and sometimes old and unsaleable Articles

7. (dated) Slighting; treating with disdain.

   Synonyms: contemptuous, disdainful, scornful; see also Thesaurus:disdainful

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

slight (third-person singular simple present slights, present participle slighting, simple past and past participle slighted)

1. (transitive) To treat as unimportant or not worthy of attention; to make light of.
2. (transitive) To give lesser weight or importance to.

   Synonym: belittle

   Antonyms: respect, value, esteem
3. (transitive) To treat (someone or something) with disdain or neglect, usually out of prejudice, hatred, or jealousy; to ignore disrespectfully; to skimp on one's duties toward.

   Synonyms: contemn, despise

   Antonyms: respect, honor
4. (intransitive) To act negligently or carelessly. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
5. (transitive, military, of a fortification) To render no longer defensible by full or partial demolition.
6. (obsolete, transitive) To make even or level.
7. (transitive) To throw heedlessly.

   Synonyms: bung, hurl; see also Thesaurus:throw

Derived terms

• slightingly

Translations

Noun

slight (plural slights)

1. The act of ignoring or snubbing; a deliberate act of neglect or discourtesy.

   Synonyms: ignoring, neglect, belittlement

   Antonym: respect
2. (obsolete) Sleight.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• The Dictionary of the Scots Language
• The Dictionary of the Scots Language
• The Middle English Dictionary
• “slight”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• lights

Middle English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English sliht, from Proto-West Germanic *sliht, from Proto-Germanic *slihtaz.

Alternative forms

• sleght, sleȝt, sleight, sleiȝte, sliȝt, slyght, slyȝt

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slixt/, /sliːxt/, /slɛxt/
• Rhymes: -ixt

Adjective

slight

1. Level, even, smooth; having no bumps or lumps.
2. (rare) Of little importance or relevance.
3. (rare) Slim, narrow, skinny; of little breadth.
4. (rare) Badly made, poorly-built, or low-quality.

Descendants

• English: slight
• Scots: slicht
• Yola: sleight

References

• “slight, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-12-12.

Etymology 2

Noun

slight

1. Alternative form of sleighte

Adjective

slight

1. Alternative form of sleighte