slink

Meanings

Verb

• To sneak about furtively.
• To give birth to an animal prematurely.

Noun

• A furtive sneaking motion.
• The young of an animal when born prematurely, especially a calf.
• The meat of such a prematurely born animal.
• A bastard child, one born out of wedlock.
• A thievish fellow; a sneak.

Adjective

• thin; lean

Origin

• From Middle English slynken, sclynken, from Old English slincan, from Proto-Germanic *slinkaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sleng-, *slenk-, from Proto-Indo-European *sel-. Cognate with West Frisian slinke, Dutch slinken, Low German slinken, Swedish slinka. Compare also German schleichen. More at sleek.