Etymology : Middle English thikke, from Old English thicce; akin to Old High German dicki thick, Old Irish tiug
Pronunciation : thik
Function : adjective
Date : before 12th century
1. having a great distance between sides; not thin; viscous; abundant; dense; stupid (Informal); very friendly (Informal). addensely; abundantly; with thick layers. center, heart, middle. dumb, unreasonable He is a little bit thick and never understands what I want to say. thick\thick\ (th&ibreve;k), a. [compar. thicker (-&etilde;r); superl. thickest.] [oe. thicke, as. ?icce; akin to d. dik, os. thikki, ohg. dicchi thick, dense, g. dick thick, icel. ?ykkr, ?j?kkr, and probably to gael. & ir. tiugh. cf. tight.].
2. 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. my little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. --1 kings xii.
3. 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.
4. dense; not thin; inspissated; as, thick vapors. also used figuratively; as, thick darkness. make the gruel thick and slab.
5. 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." w. scott.
6. abundant, close, or crowded in space; closely set; following in quick succession; frequently recurring. the people were gathered thick together. i.
7. black was the forest; thick with beech it stood.
8. not having due distinction of syllables, or good articulation; indistinct; as, a thick utterance.
9. deep; profound; as, thick sleep. [r.].
10. dull; not quick; as, thick of fearing. his dimensions to any thick sight were invincible.
11. intimate; very friendly; familiar. [colloq.] we have been thick ever since. 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. knowles.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. Dense; not thin; inspissated; as, thick vapors.
15. Also used figuratively; as, thick darkness.
16. Not transparent or clear; hence, turbid, muddy, or misty; as, the water of a river is apt to be thick after a rain.
17. Abundant, close, or crowded in space; closely set; following in quick succession; frequently recurring.
18. Not having due distinction of syllables, or good articulation; indistinct; as, a thick utterance.
19. Deep; profound; as, thick sleep.
20. Dull; not quick; as, thick of fearing.
21. Intimate; very friendly; familiar.
22. The thickest part, or the time when anything is thickest.
23. A thicket; as, gloomy thicks.
24. Frequently; fast; quick.
25. Closely; as, a plat of ground thick sown.
26. To a great depth, or to a greater depth than usual; as, land covered thick with manure.
27. To thicken. abundantly covered or filled; "the top was thick with dust" abundant; "a thick head of hair" very intense; "thick night"; "thick darkness"; "a face in deep shadow"; "deep night" not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions; "an inch thick"; "a thick board"; "a thick sandwich"; "spread a thick layer of butter"; "thick coating of dust"; "thick warm blankets" relatively dense in consistency; "thick cream"; "thick soup"; "thick smoke"; "thick fog" in quick succession; "misfortunes come fast and thick".
28. 1. Something that is thick has a large distance between its two opposite sides. For breakfast I had a thick slice of bread and syrup This material is very thick and this needle is not strong enough to go through it. ¡Ù thin + thickly thick·ly Slice the meat thickly.
29. You can use thick to talk or ask about how wide or deep something is. The folder was two inches thick How thick are these walls? Thick is also a combining form. His life was saved by a quarter-inch-thick bullet-proof steel screen. + thickness thicknesses thick·ness The size of the fish will determine the thickness of the steaks.
30. If something that consists of several things is thick, it has a large number of them very close together. She inherited our father's thick, wavy hair They walked through thick forest. = dense + thickly thick·ly I rounded a bend where the trees and brush grew thickly.
31. If something is thick with another thing, the first thing is full of or covered with the second. The air is thick with acrid smoke from the fires.
32. Thick clothes are made from heavy cloth, so that they will keep you warm in cold weather. In the winter she wears thick socks, Wellington boots and gloves ¡Ù thin.
33. Thick smoke, fog, or cloud is difficult to see:
through. The smoke was bluish-black and thick.
34. Thick liquids are fairly stiff and solid and do not flow easily. They had to battle through thick mud to reach construction workers.
35. If someone's voice is thick, they are not speaking clearly, for example because they are ill, upset, or drunk. When he spoke his voice was thick with bitterness. + thickly thick·ly `It's all my fault,' he mumbled thickly.
36. A thick accent is very obvious and easy to identify. He answered our questions in English but with a thick accent = strong.
37. disapproval If you describe someone as thick, you think they are stupid. How could she have been so thick? = stupid.
38. If things happen thick and fast, they happen very quickly and in large numbers. The rumours have been coming thick and fast.
39. If you are in the thick of an activity or situation, you are very involved in it. I enjoy being in the thick of things.
40. If you do something through thick and thin, you do it although the conditions or circumstances are very bad. She'd stuck by Bob through thick and thin.
41. a thick skin: see:
skin.