Meanings
comparative more macilent · superlative most macilent
- Lean; thin; emaciated
It ought not to be doubted but that there will yet be a time of so copious an effusion of the Holy Spirit, as will invigorate it afresh and make it spring up, out of its macilent withered state, into its primitive liveliness and beauty.
c. 1675–1702, John Howe, “The Living Temple”, in The Works of John Howe, M.A., volume 3, Religious Tract Society, published 1870, page 469Synonyms: scrawny
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveLean; thin; emaciated
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*mh₂ḱrós
- Latinmacer“meager; poor”
- Latinmaciēs“leanness; poverty”
- Latinmacilentus“lean, thin, meagre”
- Englishmacilent
From Latin macilentus (“lean, thin, meagre”), from Latin maciēs (“leanness; poverty”), from Latin macer (“meager; poor”), from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂ḱrós. Cognate with English emaciate and meagre.
More words from Latin, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
macilent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/macilent
“macilent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/macilent. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “macilent,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/macilent.
Source: macilent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.