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thready

[thred-ee]
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adjective, thread·i·er, thread·i·est.
  1. consisting of or resembling a thread or threads; fibrous; filamentous.
  2. stringy or viscid, as a liquid.
  3. (of the pulse) thin and feeble.
  4. (of sound, the voice, etc.) lacking fullness; weak; feeble.
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Origin of thready

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at thread, -y1
Related formsthread·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for thready

Historical Examples

  • If he had hurt the man badly, the pulse would have been thready and unsteady.

    The Caves of Fear

    John Blaine

  • The pulse grows more frequent and thready; aphthous deposits appear on the inside of the mouth and pharynx.

  • It is ushered in by chills, elevation of the temperature; the pulse becomes rapid, thready, and imperceptible.

    Special Report on Diseases of the Horse

    United States Department of Agriculture

  • He had shooting pains and tingling of the limbs, dimness of vision, and quick, thready pulse.

  • The mouth and tongue become coated and swollen, the throat thickens and the voice sinks to a thready whisper.

    My Own Story

    Emmeline Pankhurst

British Dictionary definitions for thready

thready

adjective threadier or threadiest
  1. of, relating to, or resembling a thread or threads
  2. med (of the pulse) barely perceptible; weak; fine
  3. sounding thin, weak, or reedya thready tenor
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Derived Formsthreadiness, noun
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