Dictionaries › English

supple

Pronunciation: /ˈsʌpəl/

The English word “supple” has 6 meanings listed here.

adjective

  1. Pliant, flexible, easy to bend.
  2. Lithe and agile when moving and bending.
  3. Compliant; yielding to the will of others.
  4. Smooth and drinkable.

verb

  1. To make or become supple.
  2. To make compliant, submissive, or obedient.

Etymology

From Middle English souple, from Old French souple, soupple (“soft, lithe, yielding”), from Latin supplic-, supplex (“suppliant, submissive, kneeling”), of uncertain formation. Either from sub + plicō (“bend”) (compare complex), or from sub + plācō (“placate”). More at sub-, placate.

Keep exploring: in the interactive dictionary every word of a definition is a link. Open “supple” there

More English words

About this dictionary

The English dictionary on Glottosphere has 650,529 entries with a page. Browse the English dictionary.

Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.