docile

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Quiet and easy to control or manage.

   The old horse was docile and let the children ride it without any trouble.

2. 2
   adj

   Ready and willing to be taught or led.

   The teacher was lucky to have such docile pupils, eager to learn whatever she taught.

Simplified etymology

Docile, recorded in late Middle English with the sense “willing to learn,” belongs to the same Latin word family as doctor, from Latin doctor, “teacher.”

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *deḱ-der. Proto-Italic *dokeō Latin doceō Proto-Indo-European *-elis Proto-Italic *-elis Latin -ilis Latin docilisder. Middle French docilebor. Middle English docyle English docile From Middle English docyle, from Middle French docile, from Latin docilis, from docēre (“teach”). Compare Spanish dócil ("docile").

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External links

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