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slink

[slingk]
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verb (used without object), slunk or (Archaic) slank; slunk; slink·ing.
  1. to move or go in a furtive, abject manner, as from fear, cowardice, or shame.
  2. to walk or move in a slow, sinuous, provocative way.
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verb (used with object), slunk or (Archaic) slank; slunk; slink·ing.
  1. (especially of cows) to bring forth (young) prematurely.
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noun
  1. a prematurely born calf or other animal.
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adjective
  1. born prematurely: a slink calf.
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Origin of slink

before 1150; Middle English slynken (v.), Old English slincan to creep, crawl; cognate with Low German slinken, German schlinken
Related formsslink·ing·ly, adverbout·slink, verb (used with object), out·slunk, out·slink·ing.un·slink·ing, adjective
Can be confusedsling slink

Synonyms

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1. skulk, sneak; lurk.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for slink

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • He waited his opportunity to slink out of camp to the woods.

    White Fang

    Jack London

  • He would have succeeded, nevertheless, had he not been so ready to slink off as soon as you looked at him.

    Lord Jim

    Joseph Conrad

  • You can't hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.

    The Shadow-Line

    Joseph Conrad

  • I believe my faith the higher, the better for mankind—Am I to slink away?

  • Can I slink by a side-road out of sight of my own intelligence?'

    Despair's Last Journey

    David Christie Murray

British Dictionary definitions for slink

slink

verb slinks, slinking or slunk
  1. (intr) to move or act in a furtive or cringing manner from or as if from fear, guilt, etc
  2. (intr) to move in a sinuous alluring manner
  3. (tr) (of animals, esp cows) to give birth to prematurely
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noun
    1. an animal, esp a calf, born prematurely
    2. (as modifier)slink veal
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Word Origin

Old English slincan; related to Middle Low German slinken to shrink, Old Swedish slinka to creep, Danish slunken limp
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for slink

v.

Old English slincan "to creep, crawl" (of reptiles), from Proto-Germanic *slinkan (cf. Swedish slinka "to glide," Dutch slinken "to shrink, shrivel;" related to sling (v.)). Of persons, attested from late 14c. Related: Slinked; slinking.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper