thin-walled
|thin-walled|
🇺🇸
/ˌθɪnˈwɔld/
🇬🇧
/ˌθɪnˈwɔːld/
having thin walls
Etymology
'thin-walled' originates from English, specifically by combining the adjective 'thin' and the noun 'wall' with the adjectival suffix '-ed' to mean 'having thin walls'.
'thin' comes from Old English 'þynne' and 'wall' from Old English 'weall' (via Proto-Germanic); the compound adjective 'thin-walled' is a straightforward Modern English formation used especially in technical and scientific contexts from the 19th–20th century onward.
Initially it simply described something 'having thin walls', and that core meaning has been retained; usage broadened into technical contexts (e.g., 'thin-walled vessel', 'thin-walled cells').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having walls that are thin (physically thin in cross-section); often implying reduced structural strength or that thinness is a design feature (e.g., thin-walled tube, thin-walled cell).
The thin-walled pipe must be handled carefully to avoid dents.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/13 05:07