thick

A2 Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /θɘk/ UK /θɪk/ See IPA manual

adv adj Freq #3232

Meanings

1

adj
Having a large distance between opposite surfaces; not thin.

She cut a thick slice of bread.
2

adj
Thick in consistency; not flowing easily.

Stir the sauce until it becomes thick and creamy.
3

adj
Growing or packed closely together; dense.

They walked through the thick forest for hours.
4

adj
Slow to understand; not very intelligent.

Sometimes I feel a bit thick when it comes to maths.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · having a large distance... broad wide

3 adj · growing or packed closely... dense

4 adj · slow to understand; not... thickheaded

Word family

Forms thickerthickest

Derived forms hyperthickpaper-thicksemithickslim-thicksuperthickthick-brainedthick-headedthick-kneethick-setthick-skinnedthick-skinnednessthick-skulled

Common collocations

thick wall Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English thikke, from Old English þicce (“thick, dense”), from Proto-West Germanic *þikkwī, from Proto-Germanic *þekuz (“thick”), from Proto-Indo-European *tégus (“thick”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sjok, tjok, tjuk, tschok (“thick”), Saterland Frisian tjuk (“thick”), West Frisian dik, tuuk (“thick”), Central Franconian deck (“thick”), Cimbrian dikh, dikhe (“thick”), Dutch dik (“thick”), German dick (“thick”), Luxembourgish déck (“thick”), Yiddish דיק (dik, “thick”), Danish tyk (“thick”), Elfdalian tiokk (“thick”), Faroese tjúkkur (“thick”), Icelandic þykkur (“thick”), Nor…

*(s)teg- (pole) Proto-Indo-European thikke Middle English þicce Old English *þikkwī Proto-West Germanic *þekuz Proto-Germanic *tégus Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction

# thick

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adv, adj
**IPA (US):** θɘk
**IPA (UK):** θɪk
**Frequency rank:** 3232

## Meanings
1. Having a large distance between opposite surfaces; not thin.
2. Thick in consistency; not flowing easily.
3. Growing or packed closely together; dense.
4. Slow to understand; not very intelligent.

## Examples
- She cut a thick slice of bread.
- Stir the sauce until it becomes thick and creamy.
- They walked through the thick forest for hours.
- Sometimes I feel a bit thick when it comes to maths.

## Derived Forms
- hyperthick
- paper-thick
- semithick
- slim-thick
- superthick
- thick-brained
- thick-headed
- thick-knee
- thick-set
- thick-skinned
- thick-skinnedness
- thick-skulled

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *(s)teg- (pole)
- Root: thikke
- Root: þicce
- Root: *þikkwī
- Root: *þekuz
- Root: *tégus

## Etymology
From Middle English thikke, from Old English þicce (“thick, dense”), from Proto-West Germanic *þikkwī, from Proto-Germanic *þekuz (“thick”), from Proto-Indo-European *tégus (“thick”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sjok, tjok, tjuk, tschok (“thick”), Saterland Frisian tjuk (“thick”), West Frisian dik, tuuk (“thick”), Central Franconian deck (“thick”), Cimbrian dikh, dikhe (“thick”), Dutch dik (“thick”), German dick (“thick”), Luxembourgish déck (“thick”), Yiddish דיק (dik, “thick”), Danish tyk (“thick”), Elfdalian tiokk (“thick”), Faroese tjúkkur (“thick”), Icelandic þykkur (“thick”), Nor…

## AI Etymology
Thick is from Middle English thikke, from Old English þicce (“thick, dense”), from Proto-West Germanic *þikkwī, from Proto-Germanic *þekuz (“thick”), from Proto-Indo-European *tégus (“thick”). In present-day use, it can mean having a large distance between opposite surfaces; not thin, or thick in consistency; not flowing easily. Derived formations include hyperthick, paper-thick, semithick, slim-thick, superthick.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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