slenderness
n. ()





slenderness
[ noun ]

1. the quality of being slight or inadequate

<noun.attribute>
he knew the slenderness of my wallet
the slenderness of the chances that anything would be done
the slenderness of the evidence

2. relatively small dimension through an object as opposed to its length or width

<noun.attribute>
the tenuity of a hair
the thinness of a rope

3. the property of an attractively thin person

<noun.attribute>

Slender \Slen"der\, a. [Compar. {Slenderer}; superl.
{Slenderest}.] [OE. slendre, sclendre, fr. OD. slinder thin,
slender, perhaps through a French form; cf. OD. slinderen,
slidderen, to creep; perh. akin to E. slide.]
1. Small or narrow in proportion to the length or the height;
not thick; slim; as, a slender stem or stalk of a plant.
``A slender, choleric man.'' --Chaucer.

She, as a veil down to the slender waist,
Her unadorned golden tresses wore. --Milton.

2. Weak; feeble; not strong; slight; as, slender hope; a
slender constitution.

Mighty hearts are held in slender chains. --Pope.

They have inferred much from slender premises. --J.
H. Newman.

The slender utterance of the consonants. --J. Byrne.

3. Moderate; trivial; inconsiderable; slight; as, a man of
slender intelligence.

A slender degree of patience will enable him to
enjoy both the humor and the pathos. --Sir W.
Scott.

4. Small; inadequate; meager; pitiful; as, slender means of
support; a slender pittance.

Frequent begging makes slender alms. --Fuller.

5. Spare; abstemious; frugal; as, a slender diet.

The good Ostorius often deigned
To grace my slender table with his presence.
--Philips.

6. (Phon.) Uttered with a thin tone; -- the opposite of
broad; as, the slender vowels long e and i.
※ -- {Slen"der*ly}, adv. -- {Slen"der*ness},
n.