slim-fitting

The compound adjective 'slim-fitting' is a modern construction that transparently combines two English elements. The first, 'slim', entered English with a negative connotation of craftiness but, influenced by its Low German relatives, shifted to describe a slender, narrow physique. The second element, 'fitting', derives from the Germanic root of 'fit', originally associated with the act of assembling or making suitable. When combined, the term literally describes clothing that is 'narrow-making-fit', logically evolving into its specific modern sense of garments designed to closely follow and reveal the contours of the body. This reflects a trend in fashion terminology towards descriptive, self-explanatory compounds.

Structure: slim (narrow) + fitting (making fit) - slim: From Middle Low German or Dutch slim (bad, sly, crooked), evolving to mean 'slender' in English. In this compound, it functions as an adjective meaning 'narrow in width'. - fitting: From the verb fit (of Germanic origin, related to Old Norse fitja 'to knit') + the suffix -ing (forming the present participle or gerund). Here, it functions as an adjective meaning 'designed to fit'.