lei-

Also slei-. Slimy.

Derivatives include slime, slick, and oblivion.

1.

a. slime, from Old English slīm, slime;

b. slippery, from Old English slipor, slippery;

c. slick, from Old English *slice, smooth, and -slīcian, to make smooth;

d. lime³, from Old English līm, cement, birdlime;

e. loam, from Old English lām, loam;

f. slight, from Middle English slight, slender, probably from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse slēttr, smooth, sleek;

g. slip¹, from Middle English slippen, to slip, probably from a source akin to Middle Dutch and Middle Low German slippen, to slip, slip away;

h. schlep, from Middle Low German slēpen, to drag. a-h all from Germanic *slī̆- with various extensions.

2. Suffixed form *lei-mo-. limacine, limicoline, from Latin līmus, slime.

3. Suffixed form *lei-w-. oblivion, oubliette, from Latin oblīvīscī, to forget (< “to wipe, let slip from the mind” ob-, away; see epi).

4. Extended form *(s)leiə-, with metathesis *(s)leə(i)-.

a. Zero-grade form with nasal infix *li-n-ə-. liniment, from Latin linere (perfect lēvī), to anoint;

b. suffixed zero-grade form *lī- (< *liə-). litotes, from Greek lītos, plain, simple;

c. suffixed metathesized form *leə-wo-, whence *lē-wo-. levigate, from Latin lēvis, smooth.

 

[Pokorny 3. lei- 662.]

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