thin

[thin] /θɪn/
adjective, thinner, thinnest.
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), thinned, thinning.
17.
to make thin or thinner (often followed by down, out, etc.).
verb (used without object), thinned, thinning.
18.
to become thin or thinner; become reduced or diminished (often followed by down, out, off, etc.):
The crowd is thinning out.
Origin
before 900; (adj. and adv.) Middle English thyn(ne), Old English thynne; cognate with Dutch dun, German dünn, Old Norse thunnr; (v.) Middle English thynnen, Old English thynnian, derivative of the adj.; compare Middle Dutch dunnen, Old Norse thynna; akin to Old Irish tana, Latin tenuis thin, Greek tany- long
Related forms
thinly, adverb
thinness, noun
overthin, adjective
overthinly, adverb
overthinness, noun
self-thinning, adjective
superthin, adjective
unthinned, adjective
unthinning, adjective
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.
Examples from the web for thin
  • Factors that could contribute to a downgrade are big increases in debt, thin operating margins, and a weak market position.
  • Those days did have one advantage, though: the screen was light, paper-thin and could be rolled into a portable tube.
  • When clouds are thin, they let a large portion of the light through and appear white.
  • At first sight, these new materials are simply odd: thin as a hair, transparent and full of holes.
  • Adding music in this context may cross the thin line between a killing machine and a dancing machine.
  • When manufactured, raw polystyrene is heated, rolled out into thin sheets and then rapidly cooled so that it can retain its shape.
  • The researchers examined thin cross-sections of bone from these dinosaur parents to determine whether they were fully grown.
  • It's a high-maintenance dessert to make because the batter is poured, and broiled, thin layer by thin layer.
  • They are not at all perturbed by thin lines that brush their faces.
  • The canonical winter icons, stellar snow crystals are thin plates of ice with six main arms, or branches.
British Dictionary definitions for thin

thin

/θɪn/
adjective thinner, thinnest
1.
of relatively small extent from one side or surface to the other; fine or narrow
2.
slim or lean
3.
sparsely placed; meagre: thin hair
4.
of relatively low density or viscosity: a thin liquid
5.
weak; poor; insufficient: a thin disguise
6.
(of a photographic negative) having low density, usually insufficient to produce a satisfactory positive
7.
(mountaineering) a climb or pitch on which the holds are few and small
8.
thin on the ground, few in number; scarce
adverb
9.
in order to produce something thin: to cut bread thin
verb thins, thinning, thinned
10.
to make or become thin or sparse
Derived Forms
thinly, adverb
thinness, noun
Word Origin
Old English thynne; related to Old Frisian thenne, Old Saxon, Old High German thunni, Old Norse thunnr, Latin tenuis thin, Greek teinein to stretch
Word Origin and History for thin
adj.

Old English þynne "narrow, lean, scanty," from Proto-Germanic *thunnuz, *thunw- (cf. West Frisian ten, Middle Low German dunne, Dutch dun, Old High German dunni, German dünn, Old Norse þunnr), from PIE *tnus-, *tnwi-, from weak grade of root *ten- "stretch" (cf. Latin 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]
Thin-skinned is attested from 1590s; the figurative sense of "touchy" is from 1670s.

v.

Old English þynnian "to make thin" (cf. German dünnen, Dutch dunnen), from thin (adj.). Intransitive sense of "to become less numerous" is attested from 1743; that of "to become thinner" is recorded from 1804. Related: Thinned; thinning.

Idioms and Phrases with thin

thin

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