What is the Latin word for slender?

The usual Latin words for “slender” are prōcērus, gracilis, tenuis; also parvus, Paulus, paululus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“slender” in Latin

prōcērushigh, tall, lofty, long; (in general) long, extended, elongated, large gracilisslender, slim, thin; meager, scanty, lean; unadorned, simple tenuisthin, slender, slim, lank; especially; fine, rare, thin; pure, clear, not coarse; weak, feeble, tenuous parvussmall; little; puny; cheap; petty; trifling; ignorable; unimportant PaulusA cognomen of the Aemilius clan.; Paul (biblical figure).paululusvery little or small pusillusvery little, very small, tiny minuōto make smaller, lessen, diminish, reduce, minimize; to attenuate, appease, suppress, repress, quell; to dismember, tear humilislow, lowly, small, slight; shallow; base, mean, humble, obscure, poor, needy, insignificant, low; short, not tall (of ph parvuluslittle; tiny; petty; small; slight; paltry; mean; unimportant; insignificant; young; tender of years

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

slender

Thin and long, procerus (tall; opposed to brevis): gracilis (thin; opposed to obesus): tenuis (thin). (The words are found in this connection and order.) procerus et tenuis (e.g., collum, neck: ☞ teretibus membris, in Suet., Caes., 45, is said of a well-proportioned stature or shape).

Slight, parvus (small, not grown up): paullus: paullulus (small; opposed to magnus or multus; e.g., equi hominesque paulluli gracilesque, Liv., 35, 11, 7): pusillus (stunted in its growth, very small): minutus (of the smallest size): humilis (low, not high; of the stature or shape of men, animals, plants): humilis staturae: humili statura (of short size, small in stature): parvulus: infans (quite young): exiguus (inconsiderable, small, short, relative to quantity, number, etc.): macer (lean; opposed to pinguis): strigosus: strigosi corporis (especially of animals, produced by want of food, opposed to obesus): exilis (not full, that has not its usual fulness; e.g., the thigh, etc.; opposed to plenus; then also of no value; e.g., production of an author, speech, etc.). (The words are found in this connection and order.) exilis et macer.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for slender?: The usual Latin words for “slender” are prōcērus, gracilis, tenuis; also parvus, Paulus, paululus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.