slike

S1L1I1K5E1

verb

To crawl; creep; slide.

OriginMiddle English sliken ← Old English *slīcan ← Proto-West Germanic *slīkan →
UncommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

slike1

verbslike (third-person singular simple present slikes, present participle sliking, simple past and past participle sliked)

present singular third person slikes · participle present sliking · participle past sliked · past sliked

  1. intransitiveTo crawl; creep; slide.

slike2

verbslike (third-person singular simple present slikes, present participle sliking, simple past and past participle sliked)

present singular third person slikes · participle present sliking · participle past sliked · past sliked

  1. transitiveTo make sleek or smooth.

slike3

verbslike (third-person singular simple present slikes, present participle sliking, simple past and past participle sliked)

present singular third person slikes · participle present sliking · participle past sliked · past sliked

  1. UKdialectaltransitiveTo rend asunder; cleave.

Origin

slike · verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sleyg-
  2. Proto-Germanic*slīkaną“to creep, crawl”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*slīkan
  4. Old English*slīcan“to crawl, slink”
  5. Middle Englishsliken
  6. Englishslike

From Middle English sliken, from Old English *slīcan (“to crawl, slink”), from Proto-West Germanic *slīkan, from Proto-Germanic *slīkaną (“to creep, crawl”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleyg-, *sleyǵ- (“to glide, smooth, spread”). Cognate with German Low German slieken (“to slink, crawl”), German schleichen (“to creep, crawl, slink, sneak”), Old English slīcian (“to make sleek, slick, smooth, or glossy”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

slike · verb

  1. Old Englishslīcian“to make sleek, slick, smooth, or glossy”
  2. Middle Englishsliken
  3. Englishslike

From Middle English sliken, slikien, from Old English slīcian (“to make sleek, slick, smooth, or glossy”). See above.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

slike · verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sleyg-
  2. Proto-Germanic*slīkaną“to hew, hammer, strike”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*slīkan
  4. Old Englishslīcan“to strike”
  5. Middle English*slīken
  6. Englishslike

From Middle English *slīken, from Old English slīcan (“to strike”), from Proto-West Germanic *slīkan, from Proto-Germanic *slīkaną (“to hew, hammer, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleyg-, *sleyǵ- (“to beat”). Cognate with Old Frisian slēc (“a shock, blow”), Middle Low German slîken (“to beat”), Old English sliċċ, sliċ (“beater, hammer, mallet”), Latin ligō, ligōnis (“hoe, mattock”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with slike

likemikestrikeunlikealikemicspikehikedislikeIkepsychpsychepiquediketrikeshrikevandykerestriketykefikesykevikerikesike
All rhymes →

Anagrams

KleiskiselLiske
Cite this entry
APA

slike. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slike

MLA

“slike.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slike. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “slike,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slike.

Source: slike on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.