lithe
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lithe¹
- /laɪð/
Rhymes with -aɪð
Where it comes from
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.
adjective lither · lithest
- Mild; calm. lithe weather
-
Slim but not skinny.
lithe body
Similar: lithesome, lissome, swack, gaunt, gracile, lank, lean, leansome, lithe, rangy, sleek, slender
-
Capable of being easily bent; flexible.
the elephant’s lithe trunk.
Similar: pliant, flexible, limber, bain, bendable, bendsome, bendy, flexile, lithe
- Adaptable. Yet the 2016 Éxilé rosé from Lise et Bertrand Jousset in the Loire Valley, made mostly of gamay, was yeasty let^([sic – meaning yet]) light and lithe, while the 2016 Indigeno from Ancarani in Emilia-Romagna, made of trebbiano, was taut and earthy.
lithe²
- /laɪð/
Rhymes with -aɪð
Where it comes from
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”).
verb lithes · lithing · lithed
- To become calm.
- To make soft or mild; soften; alleviate; mitigate; lessen; smooth; palliate. England.. hath now suppled, lithed and stretched their throats.
lithe³
- /laɪð/
Rhymes with -aɪð
Where it comes from
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.
verb lithes · lithing · lithed · lythe
- To attend; listen, hearken.
- To listen to, hearken to.
lithe⁴
- /laɪð/
Rhymes with -aɪð
Where it comes from
Uncertain; perhaps an alteration of lewth.
noun lithes
- Shelter. So Cospatric got him the Pict folk to build a strong castle there in the lithe of the hills, with the Grampians dark and bleak behind it, and he had the Den drained and he married a Pict lady and got on her bairns and he lived there till he died.
lithe⁵
- /laɪð/
Rhymes with -aɪð
Where it comes from
From Middle English lithen (“to make gentle or mild; to relax, soothe”), from Old English līþan (“to assuage, mitigate, soften”), from līþe (“lithe, gentle”).
verb lithes · lithing · lithed
- to thicken (gravy, etc.) lithe widely used as a verb in nEng Sc and Ir, as a noun only in Cu
Translations
Talk about this word "lithe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lithe. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. lithe. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lithe "lithe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lithe.Cite this
@misc{lithe_2026,
title = {lithe},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lithe},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
