Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Thick?

\Thick\ (th[i^]k), a. [Compar. {Thicker} (-[~e]r); superl. {Thickest}.] [OE. thicke, AS. [thorn]icce; akin to D. dik, OS. thikki, OHG. dicchi thick, dense, G. dick thick, Icel. [thorn]ykkr, [thorn]j["o]kkr, and probably to Gael. & Ir. tiugh. Cf. {Tight}.] 1. Measuring in the third dimension other than length and breadth, or in general dimension other than length; -- said of a solid body; as, a timber seven inches thick. Were it as thick as is a branched oak. --Chaucer. My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. --1 Kings xii. 10. 2. Having more depth or extent from one surface to its opposite than usual; not thin or slender; as, a thick plank; thick cloth; thick paper; thick neck. 3. Dense; not thin; inspissated; as, thick vapors. Also used figuratively; as, thick darkness. Make the gruel thick and slab. --Shak. 4. Not transparent or clear; hence, turbid, muddy, or misty; as, the water of a river is apt to be thick after a rain. ``In a thick, misty day.'' --Sir W. Scott. 5. Abundant, close, or crowded in space; closely set; following in quick succession; frequently recurring. The people were gathered thick together. --Luke xi. 29. Black was the forest; thick with beech it stood. --Dryden. 6. Not having due distinction of syllables, or good articulation; indistinct; as, a thick utterance. 7. Deep; profound; as, thick sleep. [R.] --Shak. 8. Dull; not quick; as, thick of fearing. --Shak. His dimensions to any thick sight were invincible. --Shak. 9. Intimate; very friendly; familiar. [Colloq.] We have been thick ever since. --T. Hughes. Note: Thick is often used in the formation of compounds, most of which are self-explaining; as, thick-barred, thick-bodied, thick-coming, thick-cut, thick-flying, thick-growing, thick-leaved, thick-lipped, thick-necked, thick-planted, thick-ribbed, thick-shelled, thick-woven, and the like. {Thick register}. (Phon.) See the Note under {Register}, n., 7. {Thick stuff} (Naut.), all plank that is more than four inches thick and less than twelve. --J. Knowles. Syn: Dense; close; compact; solid; gross; coarse.
\Thick\, n. 1. The thickest part, or the time when anything is thickest. In the thick of the dust and smoke. --Knolles. 2. A thicket; as, gloomy thicks. [Obs.] --Drayton. Through the thick they heard one rudely rush. --Spenser. He through a little window cast his sight Through thick of bars, that gave a scanty light. --Dryden. {Thick-and-thin block} (Naut.), a fiddle block. See under {Fiddle}. {Through thick and thin}, through all obstacles and difficulties, both great and small. Through thick and thin she followed him. --Hudibras. He became the panegyrist, through thick and thin, of a military frenzy. --Coleridge.
\Thick\ (th[i^]k), adv. [AS. [thorn]icce.] 1. Frequently; fast; quick. 2. Closely; as, a plat of ground thick sown. 3. To a great depth, or to a greater depth than usual; as, land covered thick with manure. {Thick and threefold}, in quick succession, or in great numbers. [Obs.] --L'Estrange.
\Thick\, v. t. & i. [Cf. AS. [thorn]iccian.] To thicken. [R.] The nightmare Life-in-death was she, Who thicks man's blood with cold. --Coleridge.