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In Death on the Rocks, a 2013 mystery novel by Deryn Lake, the hero John Rawlings is described as having “svelte eyebrows” (he raises them also in 1995’s Death at the Beggar’s Opera). Lake’s oeuvre notwithstanding, svelte is not an adjective commonly applied to eyebrows, though it’s perfectly appropriate to do so—one of the word’s meanings is “sleek,” and it is often used to describe such disparate things as gowns and sports cars having clean lines. But “svelte eyebrows” also makes etymological sense; svelte came to English (by way of French) from the Italian adjective svelto, which itself comes from the verb svellere, meaning “to pluck out.” Since its debut in English in the early 19th century, however, svelte has more often been used with its original meaning to describe a person’s body—not just the tufts of hair above their eyes—as slender, graceful, or lithe.
Synonyms
Examples of svelte in a Sentence
Christopher Null, WIRED, 9 Dec. 2020
Gomez is set to make a guest appearance in the television series, which stars Henrie, who wore a navy blazer and trousers, pairing squeaky white trainers with his svelte outfit.
—Violet Goldstone, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
In many of these songs, the bassline is the true star, svelte and muscular like an Olympic athlete.
—Elias Leight, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2024
Hailed as one of the more elegant flats of the group, this pair from Sarah Flint features a svelte, pointed-toe box, a minuscule heel, and a small leather bow that ties the whole look together.
—Alyssa Brascia, People.com, 16 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near svelte
Cite this Entry
“Svelte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/svelte. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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from French svelte "slender, sleek," from Italian svelto (same meaning), derived from svellere "to pluck out," derived from Latin evellere "to pluck"
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