English
sly
Sly comes from Middle English sly ‘Judicious, considered, shrewd’, from Old Norse slǿgr ‘sly, cunning’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *slak- ‘to hit, throw’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*slak-‘to hit, throw’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*slōgiz‘lively, agile, cunning, sly, striking’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350slǿgr‘sly, cunning’literally ‘capable of hitting or striking’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sly‘Judicious, considered, shrewd’
- Englishtodaysame form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*slak-‘to hit, throw’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*slōgiz‘lively, agile, cunning, sly, striking’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350slǿgr‘sly, cunning’literally ‘capable of hitting or striking’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sly‘Judicious, considered, shrewd’
- Englishtodaysame form
The story
In all likelihood, however, unrelated with Saterland Frisian slau (‘sly, crafty’), Dutch sluw (‘sly, cunning’), Low German slu (‘sly, cunning’), German schlau (‘clever, crafty’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *slak- ‘to hit, throw’
slaughter, slay, slew, slug, sledge, slag, 4 more
through Proto-Germanic *slōgiz ‘lively, agile, cunning, sly, striking’
through Middle English sly ‘Judicious, considered, shrewd’
Today it means
adj Artfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *slak- / sly