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thin - 8 dictionary results

thin

  [thin] adjective, thin⋅ner, thin⋅nest, adverb, verb, thinned, thin⋅ning.
Use thin in a Sentence
–adjective
1. having relatively little extent from one surface or side to the opposite; not thick: thin ice.
2. of small cross section in comparison with the length; slender: a thin wire.
3. having little flesh; spare; lean: a thin man.
4. composed of or containing objects, particles, etc., widely separated; sparse: thin vegetation.
5. scant; not abundant or plentiful.
6. of relatively slight consistency or viscosity: thin soup.
7. rarefied, as air.
8. without solidity or substance; flimsy: a very thin plot for such a long book.
9. lacking fullness or volume; weak and shrill: a thin voice.
10. without force or a sincere effort: a thin smile.
11. lacking body, richness, or strength: a thin wine.
12. lacking in chroma; of light tint.
13. Photography. (of a developed negative) lacking in density or contrast through underdevelopment or underexposure.
–adverb
14. in a thin manner.
15. sparsely; not densely.
16. so as to produce something thin: Slice the ham thin.
–verb (used with object)
17. to make thin or thinner (often fol. by down, out, etc.).
–verb (used without object)
18. to become thin or thinner; become reduced or diminished (often fol. by down, out, off, etc.): The crowd is thinning out.
Origin:
bef. 900; (adj. and adv.) ME thyn(ne), OE thynne; c. D dun, G dünn, ON thunnr; (v.) ME thynnen, OE thynnian, deriv. of the adj.; cf. MD dunnen, ON thynna; akin to OIr tana, L tenuis thin, Gk tany- long

Related forms:
thinly, adverb
thinness, noun

Synonyms:
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To thin
thin   (thĭn)   
adj.   thin·ner, thin·nest
    1. Relatively small in extent from one surface to the opposite, usually in the smallest solid dimension: a thin book.
    2. Not great in diameter or cross section; fine: thin wire.
    3. Not dense or concentrated; sparse: the thin vegetation of the plateau.
    4. More rarefied than normal: thin air.
    5. Flowing with relative ease; not viscous: a thin oil.
    6. Watery: thin soup.
  2. Lean or slender in form, build, or stature.
    1. Not dense or concentrated; sparse: the thin vegetation of the plateau.
    2. More rarefied than normal: thin air.
    3. Flowing with relative ease; not viscous: a thin oil.
    4. Watery: thin soup.
    1. Flowing with relative ease; not viscous: a thin oil.
    2. Watery: thin soup.
  5. Sparsely supplied or provided; scanty: a thin menu; thin trading.
  6. Lacking force or substance; flimsy: a thin attempt.
  7. Lacking resonance or fullness; tinny: The piano had a thin sound.
  8. Lacking radiance or intensity: thin light.
  9. Not having enough photographic density or contrast to make satisfactory prints. Used of a negative.
adv.  
  1. In a thin manner: Spread the varnish thin if you don't want it to wrinkle.
  2. So as to be thin: Cut the cheese thin.
tr. & intr.v.   thinned, thin·ning, thins
To make or become thin or thinner.

[Middle English, from Old English thynne; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
thin'ly adv., thin'ness n., thin'nish adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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, ? stretched, stretched out, long, Skr. tanu thin, slender; also to AS. ?enian to extend, G. dehnen, Icel. ?enja, Goth. ?anjan (in comp.), L. tendere to stretch, tenere to hold, Gr. ? to stretch, Skr. tan. [root]51 & 237. Cf. Attenuate, Dance, Tempt, Tenable, Tend to move, Tenous, Thunder, Tone.]

1. Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite; as, a thin plate of metal; thin paper; a thin board; a thin covering.

2. Rare; not dense or thick; -- applied to fluids or soft mixtures; as, thin blood; thin broth; thin air. --Shak.

In the day, when the air is more thin. --Bacon.

Satan, bowing low His gray dissimulation, disappeared, Into thin air diffused. --Milton.

3. Not close; not crowded; not filling the space; not having the individuals of which the thing is composed in a close or compact state; hence, not abundant; as, the trees of a forest are thin; the corn or grass is thin.

Ferrara is very large, but extremely thin of people. --Addison.

4. Not full or well grown; wanting in plumpness.

Seven thin ears . . . blasted with the east wind. --Gen. xli. 6.

5. Not stout; slim; slender; lean; gaunt; as, a person becomes thin by disease.

6. Wanting in body or volume; small; feeble; not full.

Thin, hollow sounds, and lamentable screams. --Dryden.

7. Slight; small; slender; flimsy; wanting substance or depth or force; superficial; inadequate; not sufficient for a covering; as, a thin disguise.

My tale is done, for my wit is but thin. --Chaucer.

Note: Thin is used in the formation of compounds which are mostly self-explaining; as, thin-faced, thin-lipped, thin-peopled, thin-shelled, and the like.

Thin section. See under Section.

Thin

Thin\, adv. Not thickly or closely; in a seattered state; as, seed sown thin.

Spain is thin sown of people. --Bacon.

Thin

Thin\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Thinned; p. pr. & vb. n. Thinning.] [Cf. AS. ge[thorn]ynnian.] To make thin (in any of the senses of the adjective).

Thin

Thin\, v. i. To grow or become thin; -- used with some adverbs, as out, away, etc.; as, geological strata thin out, i. e., gradually diminish in thickness until they disappear.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : thin
Spanish: fino,
German: dünn,
Japanese: 薄い
More Translations »

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 base *ten- "stretch" (cf. L. tenuis "thin, slender;" see 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 1598; the fig. sense of "touchy" is from 1680.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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thin

In addition to the idioms beginning with thin, also see into thin air; on thin ice; spread oneself too thin; through thick and thin; wear thin.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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