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glide (glīd)
Share:
v. glid·ed, glid·ing, glides
v.intr.
1. To move in a smooth, effortless manner: a submarine gliding through the water. See Synonyms at slide.
2. To move silently and furtively: The thief glided across the room.
3. To occur or pass imperceptibly: The autumn days glided by.
4. To fly without propulsion from wings or an engine.
5. Music To blend one tone into the next; slur.
6. Linguistics To articulate a glide in speech.
v.tr.
1. To cause to move or pass smoothly, silently, or imperceptibly: glided the key into the lock.
2. To operate or fly (an aircraft) without propulsion from wings or an engine: She glided the paraglider over the trees.
n.
1. The act of gliding.
2. Music A slur.
3. Linguistics
a. The transitional sound produced by passing from the articulatory position of one speech sound to that of another.
b. See semivowel.

[Middle English gliden, from Old English glīdan; see ghel-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.