macilent

/ˈmas.ɪ.lənt/

//ˈmas.ɪ.lənt// adj

"macilent" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“macilent” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lean; thin; emaciated

Corpus desk

Index EN-macilent · macilent · English

macilent · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for macilent
PropertyValue
Headwordmacilent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmas.ɪ.lənt/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “macilent” in English

macilentsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

macilent is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈmas.ɪ.lənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Lean; thin; emaciated".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for macilent, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin macilentus (“lean, thin, meagre”), from Latin maciēs (“leanness; poverty”), from Latin macer (“meager; poor”), from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂ḱrós. Cognate with English emaciate and meagre. The correct English form is macilent, spelled M-A-C-I-L-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lean; thin; emaciated

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how macilent appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. It ought not to be doubted but that there will yet be a time of so copious an effusion of the Holy Spirit, as will invigorate it afresh and make it spring up, out of its macilent withered state, into its primitive liveliness and beauty.

Etymology

From Latin macilentus (“lean, thin, meagre”), from Latin maciēs (“leanness; poverty”), from Latin macer (“meager; poor”), from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂ḱrós. Cognate with English emaciate and meagre.

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "macilent"?
"macilent" is spelled M-A-C-I-L-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmas.ɪ.lənt/.
What does "macilent" mean?
As an adjective, "macilent" means: Lean; thin; emaciated
How do you pronounce "macilent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "macilent" is /ˈmas.ɪ.lənt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "macilent"?
From Latin macilentus (“lean, thin, meagre”), from Latin maciēs (“leanness; poverty”), from Latin macer (“meager; poor”), from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂ḱrós. Cognate with English emaciate and meagre. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
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Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list