ply

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to keep supplying someone with something, especially food, drink, or questions

   The hosts plied their guests with food and wine throughout the evening.

2. 2
   verb

   to work steadily at a trade, task, or tool

   For forty years she plied her trade as a tailor in the same neighborhood.

3. 3
   verb

   to travel or operate regularly along a particular route

   Small ferries ply the channel between the island and the mainland.

4. 4
   noun

   one of the layers or strands from which a material, yarn, or rope is made

   The jacket uses a three-ply fabric for extra warmth.

Simplified etymology

Ply in the sense of “thickness,” as in plywood, entered English in the later Middle English period and is related to Old French plit, “fold.” The verb in “ply someone with drink” has a separate origin and is a shortening of apply.

From Middle English plien, through Anglo-Norman and Old French plier, 'to bend or fold,' from Latin plicare, 'to fold.' The noun senses preserve the idea of folded layers or twisted strands; the verb later developed senses of applying effort, repeatedly supplying something, and following a regular course.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary