/ˈɡlaɪd/
OriginFrom Middle English gliden, from Old English glīdan, from Proto-West Germanic *glīdan, from Proto-Germanic *glīdaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰleydʰ-.
Cognate with West Frisian glide, glydzje, Low German glieden, Dutch glijden, German gleiten, Norwegian Nynorsk gli, Danish glide, Swedish glida, Finnish liitää.
- intransitiveTo move softly, smoothly, or effortlessly.
“The river glideth at his own sweet will:”
“It is odd how easily the common-places of morality or of sentiment glide off in conversation. Well, they are "exceedingly helpful," and so Lord Avonleigh found them.”
“The water over which the boats glided was black and smooth, rising into huge foamless billows, the more terrible because they were silent.”
- intransitiveTo fly unpowered, as of an aircraft. Also relates to gliding birds and flying fish.
“The tide was out, and we drew up amid the strong bracing smell of seaweed, with gulls screeching, wheeling around, and gliding on the wind.”
- transitiveTo cause to glide.
- To pass with a glide, as the voice.
- The act of gliding.
- A transitional sound, especially a semivowel.
- An attack or preparatory movement made by sliding down the opponent’s blade, keeping it in constant contact.
- A bird, the glede or kite.
- A kind of cap affixed to the base of the legs of furniture to prevent it from damaging the floor while being moved.
- The joining of two sounds without a break.
- A smooth and sliding step in dancing the waltz.
- A census-designated place in Douglas County, Oregon, United States.
Formsglides(present, singular, third-person) · gliding(participle, present) · glided(past) · glid(past) · glode(archaic, past) · glided(participle, past) · glid(participle, past) · glode(archaic, participle, past) · glidden(participle, past) · glides(plural)