thin

thin
thin O.E. þynne "narrow, lean, scanty," from P.Gmc. *thunnuz, *thunw- (Cf. W.Fris. ten, M.L.G. dunne, Du. dun, O.H.G. dunni, Ger. dünn, O.N. þunnr), from PIE *tnus-, *tnwi-, from weak grade of root *ten- "stretch" (Cf. L. tenuis "thin, slender;" see TENET (Cf. tenet)).
These our actors ... were all Spirits, and Are melted into Ayre, into thin Ayre. [Shakespeare, "The Tempest," IV.i.150, 1610]
The verb is from O.E. þynnian "to make thin" (Cf. Ger. dünnen, Du. dunnen); intrans. sense of "to become less numerous" is attested from 1743; that of "to become thinner" is recorded from 1804. Thin-skinned is attested from 1590s; the figurative sense of "touchy" is from 1670s.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • thin´ly — thin «thihn», adjective, thin|ner, thin|nest, adverb, verb, thinned, thin|ning, noun. –adj. 1. with little space from one side to the opposite side; not thick: »a thin book, thin paper, thin wire. The ice o …   Useful english dictionary

  • Thin — Thin, a. [Compar. {Thiner}; superl. {Thinest}.] [OE. thinne, thenne, thunne, AS. [thorn]ynne; akin to D. dun, G. d[ u]nn, OHG. dunni, Icel. [thorn]unnr, Sw. tunn, Dan. tynd, Gael. & Ir. tana, W. teneu, L. tenuis, Gr. ? (in comp.) stretched out, ? …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • thin — [θɪn] adjective JOURNALISM if trading on a financial market is thin, there is not much activity: • Trade was thin in the currency markets yesterday, heading into a Japanese long weekend. * * * thin UK US /θɪn/ adjective (thinner, thinnest) ►… …   Financial and business terms

  • thin — [thin] adj. thinner, thinnest [ME thinne < OE thynne, akin to Ger dünn < IE * tenu , thin < base * ten , to stretch > L tenuis, thin, tenere, to hold, tendere & Gr teinein, to stretch] 1. having relatively little depth; of little… …   English World dictionary

  • Thin — may refer to:* Thin client, computer in client server architecture networks * Thin film, material layer of about 1 µm thickness * Thin film memory, high speed variation of core memory developed by Sperry Rand in a government funded research… …   Wikipedia

  • Thin — Photo bienvenue Merci Caractéristiques Longueur 22,1 km Bassin 93,5 km2 Bassin collecteur Meuse Débit moyen 1,33 m3 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • thin — [adj1] fine, light, slender attenuate, attenuated, beanpole*, beanstalk*, bony*, cadaverous, delicate, emaciated, ethereal, featherweight, fragile, gangling, gangly, gaunt, haggard, lank, lanky, lean, lightweight, meager, narrow, peaked, pinched …   New thesaurus

  • thin — ► ADJECTIVE (thinner, thinnest) 1) having opposite surfaces or sides close together. 2) (of a garment or fabric) made of light material. 3) having little flesh or fat on the body. 4) having few parts or members relative to the area covered or… …   English terms dictionary

  • thin — vb Thin, attenuate, extenuate, dilute, rarefy. Thin is the most inclusive of these terms and is interchangeable with any of the others, though not without some loss of precision or of specific connotations. Basically it implies reduction in… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Thin — Thin, adv. Not thickly or closely; in a seattered state; as, seed sown thin. [1913 Webster] Spain is thin sown of people. Bacon. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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