Word of the Day Archives - yourdictionary.com
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Today's Word: Svelte (Adjective)
Pronunciation: ['svelt]
Definition 1: Slim, slender; elegant, graceful.
Usage 1: This adjective compares the old fashioned way: "svelter" and "sveltest." The noun is "svelteness" and the adverb, "sveltely," though we recommend you avoid words this lumpish and ungainly. "Svelte" sounds as sophisticated as its meaning but it has a family of black sheep. The connection it makes between "slender" and "elegant" reflects Western societies bias against the zaftig. (Remember that Word of the Day November 24, 2000?)
Suggested usage: Always try to maintain as positive an attitude toward your friends as possible: "Marlene, you look so svelte in the area covered by your new swim suit!" (You don't have to mention the bulges around the edges.) Remember, "slender" is the basic meaning, "Hmmm. The envelope is a bit too svelte to be an acceptance from Cornell but open it any way."
Etymology: French, from Italian svelto, past participle of svellere "to stretch out" devolved from Vulgar Latin *exvellere based on ex- "out" + vellere "to pull." Where the root of the Latin word comes from is difficult to say. It apparently comes from an underlying *wel- but that root in PIE seems to have been "roll, twist," not "stretch" or "pull." If they are related, the root here is akin to German Welle "wave," walzen "roll," and English "envelop(e)." (Our gratitude today is owed to the ever elegant and graceful—and probably svelte—friend of yourDictionary, Phyllis Stabler.) |
