gli

• glii

From Middle High German gelīch, from Old High German gilīh, from Proto-West Germanic *galīk, from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz. Compare German gleich.

• IPA^(key): /ɡ̊li/

gli

1. soon

   Synonym: bald

• li (archaic)
• gl' (obsolete spelling, before ⟨i⟩)

• IPA^(key): (before a consonant) ^*/ʎi/, (before a vowel) ^*/ʎ/^*

From Latin illī (nominative masculine plural of ille). Cognate with Sicilian li~i.

Italian Definite Articles
	singular	plural
masculine	il lo/l'	i gli
feminine	la/l'	le

gli m pl (singular lo)

1. form of the article i (“the”) used before a vowel, impure s, gn, pn, ps, x, y, and z, and also with the plural noun dei (“gods”); the

   gli alberi ― the trees

   gli studenti ― the students

   gli gnomi ― the gnomes

   gli pneumatici ― the tires

   gli xilofoni ― the xylophones

   gli yogurt ― the yogurts

   gli zaini ― the backpacks

   gli dei ― the gods

From Latin illī (dative masculine singular of ille). Cognate with Sicilian ci.

gli m (plural gli)

1. (dative) him, to him; it; to it

   Gli parlo. ― I talk to him.

• Becomes glie- when followed by a non-reflexive third-person accusative or genitive clitic pronoun (lo, la, li, le, or ne).

From Latin illī (dative feminine singular of ille). Cognate with Sicilian ci.

gli f (plural gli)

2. (dative, informal) her, to her
   • ca. 1349-1353, Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron, Tommaso Edlin (1725), page 98:

     […] ne prima altro fece, che ella s’ingegnò di veder Beltramo, & appreſſo nel coſpetto del Re venuta di gratia chieſe, che la ſua infermita gli moſtraſſe.

     Before aught else she studied to see Bertrand and next, presenting herself before the king, she prayed him of his favour/favor to show her his ailment.

   Synonym: le

   Ho detto a Gianna che gli telefono domani.

   I told Gianna I'd call her tomorrow.

• Becomes glie- when followed by a third-person direct-object clitic pronoun (lo, la, li, le, or ne).
• Although historically attested and etymologically justifiable (from illī f sg), this form is nonetheless, to this day, considered incorrect and is therefore only acceptable in an informal, colloquial context and register.^[1]

From Latin illīs (dative plural of ille). Cognate with Sicilian ci.

gli m pl or f pl

1. (dative) them, to them

   Gli parlerò. ― I'll talk to them.

   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:gli.

• Becomes glie when followed by a third-person direct-object clitic pronoun (lo, la, li, le, or ne).

• glida, glide (long forms)

From Middle Low German gliden, from Proto-Germanic *glīdaną.

• IPA^(key): /ɡliː/
• Homophone: glid

gli (present tense glir, past tense glei, supine glidd/glidt or glide, past participle glidd or gliden, present participle glidande, imperative gli)

1. to slip (to lose one's traction on a slippery surface)

   Han glei på isen.

   He slipped on the ice.

2. to glide (to move effortlessly)

   Skia glir godt.

   The skis glide well.

• “gli” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

gli n

1. a fry (young fish)

   Synonym: fiskyngel

2. Alternative form of glin (“(mischievous) child”)

• gli in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• gli in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• gli in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)