Dictionary

slither en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈsləðə/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˈslɪðɚ/ (General-American)
• /ˈslɪvə/ England, th-fronting
• /ˈslɪðəɾ/ (Scotland)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈslɪðə/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English slitheren, alteration of slideren (“to slither, creep”), from Old English slidrian (“to slip, slide, slither”), from Proto-West Germanic *slidrōn (“to slide, slither”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃sleydʰ- (“to slip”), equivalent to slide + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with Dutch slidderen (“to slip, wriggle, slither”), German schlittern (“to slither, skid”). More at slide.

Meanings

1. (archaic) Slithery; slippery.

slither en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈsləðə/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˈslɪðɚ/ (General-American)
• /ˈslɪvə/ England, th-fronting
• /ˈslɪðəɾ/ (Scotland)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈslɪðə/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English slitheren, alteration of slideren (“to slither, creep”), from Old English slidrian (“to slip, slide, slither”), from Proto-West Germanic *slidrōn (“to slide, slither”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃sleydʰ- (“to slip”), equivalent to slide + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with Dutch slidderen (“to slip, wriggle, slither”), German schlittern (“to slither, skid”). More at slide.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A limestone rubble.
2. (countable, nonstandard, uncountable) A sliver.
3. (collective, countable, uncountable) A group of snakes.
   • And from the hedge came the silken slither of snakes about to lather with foam and strike some legless sheep or ox left by the mutinous pack. 1926, Eric Walrond, Tropic Death, Boni & Liveright, page 201:
   • On Sunday night’s episode of “The White Lotus,” Walton Goggins’ character Rick throws open the doors to cages containing a slither of snakes, resulting in another character being hospitalized for a snakebite. 2025 March 6, Cameron Kiszla, “‘White Lotus’ snakebite scene was realer than you thought”, in KTLA 5, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2026:
   • He listened for the retreating slithers of snakes and plop of small biting insects falling dead to the ground - things that were silent to most ears but not his own. 2025, Jamie Lobley, Ge-O Knights: Gunslingers, page 87:

Forms

Relateds

sliver

slither en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈsləðə/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˈslɪðɚ/ (General-American)
• /ˈslɪvə/ England, th-fronting
• /ˈslɪðəɾ/ (Scotland)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈslɪðə/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English slitheren, alteration of slideren (“to slither, creep”), from Old English slidrian (“to slip, slide, slither”), from Proto-West Germanic *slidrōn (“to slide, slither”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃sleydʰ- (“to slip”), equivalent to slide + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with Dutch slidderen (“to slip, wriggle, slither”), German schlittern (“to slither, skid”). More at slide.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To move about smoothly and from side to side.
   • [Indiana:] Wave it at anything that slithers. [Marion:] The whole place is slithering! 1981, Lawrence Kasdan, Raiders of the Lost Ark:
   • She also had a map of the building, not that it was very large, and she'd memorized the layout. The guard station would be right around the corner, and there ought to be a counter about the height of a half-wall looking out over the corridor with only a bulletin board on the opposite wall. She crouched down, and slithered left. 2023 October 12, HarryBlank, “Fire in the Hole”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 22 May 2024:
2. (intransitive) To slide.
   • Some snow slides recorded have exceeded a million tons and slithered down the mountain-side at a speed of 60 miles an hour. 1954 February, Trevor Holloway, “Canada's Transcontinental Routes”, in Railway Magazine, page 128:
   • I bent down and with both hands I scooped up as much of this pissshit as I could. The green and brown clump felt like Jello as it dripped down all over my clothes. It was slithering through inbetween^([sic]) my fingers. 2003, J. Flash, An American Savage:

Forms

Deriveds

aslither · slithersome · slitherer · Slytherin · slithery · slitherlink

Translations (37)

bg плъзгам се (to slide) · fr glisser (to slide) · pt serpear (to move smoothly from side to side) · es reptar (to move smoothly from side to side) · pt serpentear (to move smoothly from side to side) · pt deslizar (to slide) · fr glisser en ondulant (to move smoothly from side to side) · it strisciare (to move smoothly from side to side) · pt ondear (to move smoothly from side to side) · cs klouzat (to slide) · it scivolare (to slide) · ca reptar (to move smoothly from side to side) · sco hirsel (to move smoothly from side to side) · hu siklik (to slide) · fr se faufiler (to slide) · cs plazit se (to move smoothly from side to side) · th เลื้อย (to move smoothly from side to side) · hu csúszkál (to slide) · fi luikerrella (to move smoothly from side to side) · cs klouzat se (to slide) · pt zigue-zaguear (to move smoothly from side to side) · es ratear (to move smoothly from side to side) · pt serpentar (to move smoothly from side to side) · sh gmizati (to move smoothly from side to side) · fi valua (to slide) · fr ramper (to move smoothly from side to side) · hu csúszik (to slide) · de schlittern (to slide) · de rutschen (to slide) · fi kiemurrella (to move smoothly from side to side) · fi luikertaa (to move smoothly from side to side) · bg движа се като змия (to move smoothly from side to side) · io reptar (to move smoothly from side to side) · cs šoupnout se (to move smoothly from side to side) · cs sklouznout (to slide) · es deslizarse (to slide) · pt rastejar (to move smoothly from side to side)