slither
UK /ˈslɪðə/ · US /ˈslɪðɚ/ verb, adjective, noun
Forms slithers slithering slithered
- verb (intransitive) To move about smoothly and from side to side.
- verb (intransitive) To slide.
- adjective (archaic) Slithery; slippery.
- noun A limestone rubble.
- noun (nonstandard, see usage notes) A sliver.
- noun (collective) A group of snakes.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English slitheren, alteration of slideren (“to slither, creep”), from Old English slidrian (“to slip, slide, slither”), from Proto-West Germanic *slidrōn (“to slide, slither”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃sleydʰ- (“to slip”), equivalent to slide + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with Dutch slidderen (“to slip, wriggle, slither”), German schlittern (“to slither, skid”). More at slide.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Cf. G. schlittern, LG. schliddern. See Slide.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “slither”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details