supple

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈsʌpəl/ UK /ˈsʌpəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #26350

Meanings

1

adj
Able to bend and move easily; flexible.

Years of yoga had kept her body remarkably supple.
2

adj
Soft and easy to bend, used of materials like leather.

The new gloves were made of soft, supple leather.
3

adj
Quick to adapt or change; flexible in thinking.

The job demands a supple mind that can handle sudden changes.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · able to bend and move... limber

3 adj · quick to adapt or change;... limber

Word family

Forms supplersupplest

Derived forms supplejacksuppleness

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

supple mind
a way of thinking that adapts easily to new ideas or circumstances

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Supple comes through Old French souple from Latin supplex, “submissive.” Its original English meaning was “of yielding consistency.”

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.

souple Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# supple

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈsʌpəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsʌpəl/
**Frequency rank:** 26350

## Meanings
1. Able to bend and move easily; flexible.
2. Soft and easy to bend, used of materials like leather.
3. Quick to adapt or change; flexible in thinking.

## Examples
- Years of yoga had kept her body remarkably supple.
- The new gloves were made of soft, supple leather.
- The job demands a supple mind that can handle sudden changes.

## Derived Forms
- supplejack
- suppleness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: souple

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Supple is 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. In present-day use, it can mean able to bend and move easily; flexible, or soft and easy to bend, used of materials like leather. Derived formations include supplejack, suppleness.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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