spindlelegs

American

[spin-dl-legz] / ˈspɪn dlˌlɛgz /

noun

(used with a plural verb) long, thin legs.
(used with a singular verb) a tall, thin person with such legs.

spindlelegs British

/ ˈspɪndəlˌlɛɡz, ˈspɪndəlˌʃæŋks /

plural noun

long thin legs
(functioning as singular) a person who has long thin legs

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

spindle-legged

adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

spindlelegs

plural

Etymology

Origin of spindlelegs

First recorded in 1640–50; spindle + leg + -s ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His spindlelegs and sparrow feet are those of the tenor Mario, prince of Candia.

From Ulysses by Joyce, James

Everything was still very quiet, but smoke was rising from the solid farm chimneys, and, rounding the corners of some large outbuildings, she came suddenly upon more life—feathery, fantastic life of spindlelegs and fluttering wings.

From Blue Aloes Stories of South Africa by Stockley, Cynthia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023