supple
[ suhp-uh l ]
/ ˈsʌp əl /
adjective, sup·pler, sup·plest.
bending readily without breaking or becoming deformed; pliant; flexible: a supple bough.
characterized by ease in bending; limber; lithe: supple movements.
characterized by ease, responsiveness, and adaptability in mental action.
compliant or yielding.
obsequious; servile.
verb (used with or without object), sup·pled, sup·pling.
to make or become supple.
Origin of supple
1250–1300; (adj.) Middle English
souple flexible, compliant < Old French: soft, yielding, lithe < Latin
supplic- (stem of
supplex) submissive, suppliant, equivalent to
sup-
sup- +
-plic-, variously explained as akin to
plicāre to
fold1, bend (thus meaning “bent over”; cf.
complex), or to
plācāre to
placate1 (thus meaning “in the attitude of a suppliant”); (v.) Middle English
supplen to soften, derivative of the noun (compare Old French
asoplir)
OTHER WORDS FROM supple
sup·ple·ness, noun un·sup·ple, adjective un·sup·ple·ness, noun un·sup·p·ly, adverbWords nearby supple
Example sentences from the Web for supple
British Dictionary definitions for supple
supple
/ (ˈsʌpəl) /
adjective
bending easily without damage
capable of or showing easy or graceful movement; lithe
mentally flexible; responding readily
disposed to agree, sometimes to the point of servility
verb
rare
to make or become supple
Derived forms of supple
suppleness, nounWord Origin for supple
C13: from Old French
souple, from Latin
supplex bowed