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svelte love

svelte

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Slender or graceful in figure or outline; slim.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Attractively thin; gracefully slender.
  • adjective refined, delicate

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective being of delicate or slender build
  • adjective moving and bending with ease
  • adjective showing a high degree of refinement and the assurance that comes from wide social experience

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Italian svelto, from past participle of svellere, to stretch out, from Vulgar Latin *exvellere, from Latin ēvellere : ē-, ex-, ex- + vellere, to pull.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French svelte, from Italian svelto ("stretched out"), from Vulgar Latin exvellere: ex + vellere ("to pluck, stretch").

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Examples

  • Meanwhile, making me feel nice and svelte is Kenneth Brumley, half a ton and taking in 30,000 calories a day.

    Animals archmage 2008

  • Shed never been what you might call svelte, but then she had left town and gone to live in Baltimore, and by the time she came back shed piled on the pounds.

    The Lovers John Connolly 2009

  • Nashville, where she lives with husband Keith Urban looking remarkably svelte, which is all the more amazing as she gave birth just ten days ago.

    WN.com - Articles related to Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban get the festive feeling as they shop for Christmas decorations 2009

  • Boldly defying his own "svelte" President, Crawford called upon his nation to enter the fat race, concluding with a rousing echo of Churchill:

    The War on Fat 2007

  • Boldly defying his own "svelte" President, Crawford called upon his nation to enter the fat race, concluding with a rousing echo of Churchill:

    The War on Fat 2007

  • They have to beat around the bush and chase their friends to the swamps by throwing things like "svelte" at them.

    The Wit and Humor of America, Volume I. (of X.) Various 1887

  • Our server was Chenoa, who I’ve already described as a svelte-er, softer, smarter version of Kelly Osbourne.

    For the Locals - Osteria Latini, Take 3 2005

  • The Swedish blonde for whom the word 'svelte' seems especially fitting, she crafted iconic portraits with Horst P. Horst,

    GoodShit 2010

  • So the netbook proved the market for, not necessarily thin-client, but a sort of "svelte" client-a slimmed down ...

    Ars Technica 2010

  • So the netbook proved the market for, not necessarily thin-client, but a sort of "svelte" client-a slimmed down ...

    Ars Technica 2010

Comments

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  • chained_bear commented on the word svelte

    Googling reveals several rock bands called Svelte. One has lyrics on its website. Cool.

    February 3, 2007

  • 케발컨 commented on the word svelte

    I think it has too many meanings to use correctly. For example, svelte means that you are refined, but it also means you are lean(lacking excess flesh). But, you can also be fat and be svelte, right?

    August 2, 2008

  • plethora commented on the word svelte

    I think this is a really sexy word. I don't know why.

    August 2, 2008