Origin of thin
before 900; (adj. and adv.) Middle English
thyn(ne), Old English
thynne; cognate with Dutch
dun, German
dünn, Old Norse
thunnr; (v.) Middle English
thynnen, Old English
thynnian, derivative of the adj.; compare Middle Dutch
dunnen, Old Norse
thynna; akin to Old Irish
tana, Latin
tenuis thin, Greek
tany- long
SYNONYMS FOR thin
3
slim,
slender,
skinny,
lank,
scrawny.
Thin,
gaunt,
lean,
spare agree in referring to one having little flesh.
Thin applies often to one in an unnaturally reduced state, as from sickness, overwork, lack of food, or the like:
a thin, dirty little waif.
Gaunt suggests the angularity of bones prominently displayed in a thin face and body:
to look ill and gaunt.
Lean usually applies to a person or animal that is naturally thin:
looking lean but healthy after an outdoor vacation.
Spare implies a muscular leanness with no diminution of vitality:
Lincoln was spare in body.
5 meager.
8 weak.
OTHER WORDS FROM thin
Words nearby thin
Example sentences from the Web for thinning
British Dictionary definitions for thinning
thin
/ (θɪn) /
adjective thinner or thinnest
adverb
in order to produce something thin
to cut bread thin
verb thins, thinning or thinned
to make or become thin or sparse
Derived forms of thin
thinly, adverb thinness, nounWord Origin for thin
Old English
thynne; related to Old Frisian
thenne, Old Saxon, Old High German
thunni, Old Norse
thunnr, Latin
tenuis thin, Greek
teinein to stretch
Idioms and Phrases with thinning
thin