schleichen

German

Etymology

From Old High German slīhhan, from Proto-Germanic *slīkaną. Compare English slink.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʃlaɪ̯çən/
  • (file)

Verb

schleichen (class 1 strong, third-person singular present schleicht, past tense schlich, past participle geschlichen, auxiliary sein)

  1. (intransitive) to move in a quiet and inconspicuous manner, hence often slowly and/or ducked: to crawl, to sneak, to steal, to prowl, to creep, to slither (of a snake)
  2. (reflexive, with some adverb of location) to go somewhere in the above manner
  3. (informal, intransitive) to move slowly (especially in a car)
    Was schleicht der da so?Why’s that guy driving so slowly?
  4. (informal, reflexive) to slink away; to leave meekly or sheepishly
  5. (Austria, Bavaria, Southern German, reflexive, colloquial or vulgar, dismissal) to piss off
    Schleich dich!Piss off!

Conjugation

Further reading

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