Lithe
“Lithe” 是一个形容词，形容身体或物体”柔软的、灵活的、易弯曲的”。常用于描述人时，指身材苗条而动作优雅、柔韧。也可形容温和的天气或柔和的性情。带有优雅、轻盈的褒义色彩。
- “The dancer moved with lithe grace across the stage.” (舞者以柔韧优雅的姿态在舞台上移动。)
- “The elephant’s lithe proboscis can pick up objects as small as a peanut.” (大象灵活的长鼻可以拾起像花生一样小的物体。)
- “She had a lithe figure that made her a natural for gymnastics.” (她身材柔韧，天生适合体操运动。)
源自古英语 “līthe”（柔软的、温和的），与古高地德语 “lindi” 同源。词根与”柔软、灵活”的概念相关。现代英语中 “lithe” 与 “lissome”（柔韧的）常可互换使用。
无前缀和后缀。作为完整的古英语词保留至今。
在西方文化中，“lithe” 常与舞蹈、体操、瑜伽等强调身体柔韧性的活动相关联。文学中常用以描写优雅的女性或灵动的动物。该词带有诗意和审美意味，比单纯的 “flexible” 更富表现力。
- 固定搭配: “lithe body” (柔韧的身躯), “lithe movements” (灵活的动作), “lithe and graceful” (柔韧而优雅)
- 副词: lithely（柔韧地、灵活地）
- 相关词: lithesome（柔韧的，同义）
“Lithe” 发音轻柔，像丝绸滑过——/laɪð/ 中的 “th” 音柔软。联想 “light”（轻的）+ “the”：轻盈的身体，灵活自如。也可联想瑜伽练习者 lithe 的身姿。
“The gymnast’s lithe body seemed to defy gravity as she flowed through her routine. Each flip and twist was executed with such fluidity that the audience held its breath. Her years of training had made her not just strong, but lithe—able to bend and stretch in ways that looked almost supernatural.” (这位体操运动员柔韧的身躯似乎在挑战重力，她在套路中流畅地完成每个动作。每一次翻转和扭转都如此流畅，观众屏息凝神。多年的训练让她不仅强壮，而且柔韧——能够以近乎超自然的方式弯曲和伸展。)