schlau

Signification

clever in a way that enables one to achieve one's goals; slightly sly or cunning (but not usually implying any evil intentions)
(informal) bright, intelligent, clever (with no such overtone at all)

Fréquence

Prononcé comme (IPA)

/ʃlaʊ̯/

Étymologie

Borrowed from Middle Low German slû, whence probably also Dutch sluw. Further origin uncertain. Probably from a Proto-Germanic *slūhaz (“sneaking, creeping”), perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leuǵ (“to crawl, slide”), if the original sense referred to sneaking and sliding. Related with Dutch sluiken (“to creep, smuggle, act clandestinely”). In spite of the near-identity in meaning and form, English sly is in all likelihood not related.