Thĭck1, a.
a. [compar. THICKER; superl. THICKEST.] [A-S. thicce, O. Sax. thicci, O. Fries. thikke, Icel. thyckr, Sw. tjock, Dan. tyk, O. H. Ger. thiki, dicchi, M. H. Ger. dicke, N. H. Ger. dick, D. dik. Cf. TIGHT.]
Sense 1. Dense; not thin; inspissated; as, thick vapors; a thick fog.
Make the gruel thick and slab. Shak.
Sense 2. 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.
Sense 3. Abundant, close, or crowded in space; closely planted or set; following in quick succession; frequently recurring.
The people were gathered thick together. Locke.
Favors came thick upon him. Wotton.
Black was the forest; thick with beech it stood. Dryden.
Sense 4. Measuring in the third dimension other than length and breadth, or in general dimension other than length; — said of a solid body; as, a piece of timber seven inches thick.
My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins. 1 Kings xii. 10.
Sense 5. Having more depth or extent from one surface to its opposite than usual; as, a thick plank; thick cloth; thick paper.
Sense 6. Not having due distinction of syllables, or good articulation; as, a thick utterance.
Sense 7. Somewhat deaf; dull; as, thick of hearing.
Sense 8. Intimate; very friendly; familiar. [Colloq.]
We have been thick ever since. Hughes.
☞ Thick is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, thick-barred, thick-bodied, thick-coming, thick-grown, thick-leaved, thick-lipped, thick-necked, thick-planted, thick-ribbed, thick-shelled, thick-woven, and the like.
Synonyms—Dense; close; compact; solid; gross; coarse.