Slimy Meaning
/ˈslaɪ.mi/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf or pertaining to slime
adjResembling, of the nature of, covered or daubed with, or abounding in slime.
Sentence Examples
Something green and slimy was on the rock.
Tom is covered in slimy goo.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Because the fish was covered in mucus, its body felt ____ and it slipped from my hands.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The wet rocks near the waterfall were covered in ____ green algae, making them hard to climb.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English slymy, slimi, either derived from the Old English noun slīm or an unattested *slīmiġ, replacing Old English slipiġ (“slippy, slimy”). Equivalent to slime + -y. Cognate with Dutch slijmig, slijmerig (“slimy”), German schleimig (“slimy; smarmy”), Swedish slemmig (“slimy”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Slimy things did crawl with legs
Upon the slimy sea."
— 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere:
""I looked at this moon-faced, smooth skinned, slimy fraud, with his patronising smile.""
— 1994, Jim Ranie, Jargodin: The Moonlighter, Brisbane: Jim Ranie, page 83:
"Act two: A social scientist has the student watch either a neutral film, nonviolent porn, or some slimy concoction that shows a woman being raped violently (and apparently enjoying it)."
— 1997, Playboy, “Studies Showing Pornography Causes Violence Are Flawed”, in Carol Wesseker, editor, Pornography: Opposing Viewpoints, page 49:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Because the fish was covered in mucus, its body felt ____ and it slipped from my hands.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The wet rocks near the waterfall were covered in ____ green algae, making them hard to climb.