glib

Meanings

Adjective

• Having a ready flow of words but lacking thought or understanding; superficial; shallow.
• Smooth or slippery.
• Artfully persuasive but insincere in nature; smooth-talking, honey-tongued, silver-tongued.

Verb

• To make glib.
• To castrate; to geld; to emasculate.

Noun

• A mass of matted hair worn down over the eyes, formerly used in Ireland.

Origin

• A shortening of either English glibbery ("slippery") or its source, Low German glibberig ("slippery") / Dutch glibberig ("slippery").
• From Irish glib.
• Compare Old English and dialect lib to castrate, geld, Danish dialect live, Low German and Old Dutch lubben.