English
glib
Glib comes from Dutch glibberig ‘slippery’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- ‘to shine’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰelh₃-1‘to shine’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
- Middle Low Germanc. 1200–1600glibberich1uncertain
- Low Germanmodernglibberig1‘slippery, smooth’uncertain
- Dutchc. 1500–presentglibberig2‘slippery’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606glib2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Dutch glibberig
- 2 Wiktionary, English glib
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of King Lear: “I want that glib and oily art, / To…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰelh₃-Wiktionary, Dutch glibberig‘to shine’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
- Middle Low Germanc. 1200–1600glibberichWiktionary, Dutch glibberiguncertain
- Low GermanmodernglibberigWiktionary, Dutch glibberig‘slippery, smooth’uncertain
- Dutchc. 1500–presentglibberigWiktionary, English glib‘slippery’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606glibWiktionary, English glib. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of King Lear: “I want that glib and oily art, / To…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- ‘to shine’
gold, fell, yellow, chlorine, gall, cholera, felon, yolk, gullible, gild, choline, zloty, chlorella, 27 more
Another origin of glib
- Irishc. 1200–presentglib‘forelock’
- Englishtodayglib
Today it means
adj Having a ready flow of words but lacking thought or understanding; superficial; shallow.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “glib”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Dutch glibberig. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- / glib