slender

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

She, as a veil down to the slender waist,
Her unadorned golden tresses wore. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Weak; feeble; not strong; slight; as, slender hope; a slender constitution. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mighty hearts are held in slender chains. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

They have inferred much from slender premises. J. H. Newman. [ 1913 Webster ]

The slender utterance of the consonants. J. Byrne. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Moderate; trivial; inconsiderable; slight; as, a man of slender intelligence. [ 1913 Webster ]

A slender degree of patience will enable him to enjoy both the humor and the pathos. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Small; inadequate; meager; pitiful; as, slender means of support; a slender pittance. [ 1913 Webster ]

Frequent begging makes slender alms. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Spare; abstemious; frugal; as, a slender diet. [ 1913 Webster ]

The good Ostorius often deigned
To grace my slender table with his presence. Philips. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Phon.) Uttered with a thin tone; -- the opposite of broad; as, the slender vowels long e and i. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Slen"der*ly, adv. -- Slen"der*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]