thinness

Everyday

1. Thinness is being thin: not thick, as with a thin sheet of paper or ice. tree →
2. Thinness of a person or animal is having little fat on the body, sometimes because of illness or hunger. tree →
3. Thinness can mean being weak or watery, or not having much in it: the thinness of a soup or of an excuse. tree →

In the lessons

In science and maths, thinness is measured as thickness (in mm). In health lessons, pupils learn that bodies come in many healthy shapes, and very great thinness can be a sign of illness; nobody should be teased about their body. In safety, the thinness of ice on ponds is a danger. Phrases: «the thinness of the ice», «extreme thinness».

Examples

• The thinness of the ice made it dangerous to walk on. tree →
• We compared the thinness of different kinds of paper. tree →
• The vet was worried about the stray cat's thinness. tree →
• The thinness of the walls meant we could hear the neighbours. tree →
• His excuse had a thinness everyone noticed. tree →
• You can see light through a leaf because of its thinness. tree →

Note

Uncountable. From «thin» + -ness (double n). Opposite: «thickness» (for objects), «fatness» (for bodies — but talking about bodies needs kindness).