Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To crawl.
  • A Middle English form of sleek.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To make sleek or smooth.
  • verb transitive To rend asunder; cleave.
  • verb intransitive To crawl; creep; slide.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English *slīken, from Old English slīcan ("to strike"), from Proto-Germanic *slīkanan (“to hew, hammer, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleig-, *sleiǵ- (“to beat”). Cognate with Old Frisian slēc ("a shock, blow"), Middle Low German slīken ("to beat"), Old English slīc ("beater, hammer, mallet"), Latin ligō, ligōnis ("hoe, mattock").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English slikien, from Old English slīcian ("to make sleek, slick, smooth, or glossy"). See above.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English sliken, from Old English *slīcan (“to crawl, slink”), from Proto-Germanic *slīkanan (“to creep, crawl”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleig-, *sleiǵ- (“to glide, smooth, spread”). Cognate with Low German slīken ("to slink, crawl"), German schleichen ("to creep, crawl, slink, sneak"), Old English slīcian ("to make sleek, slick, smooth, or glossy"). Related to sleek, slick, slitch, sleech, sludge.

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