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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

supple.

Pliant, flexible, easy to bend.

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/ˈsʌpəl/Received-Pronunciation, US
  1. Pliant, flexible, easy to bend.

  2. Lithe and agile when moving and bending.

    supple joints
    supple fingers
  3. Compliant; yielding to the will of others.

    figuratively
    a supple horse
  4. Smooth and drinkable.

Where this word comes from

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.

verb/ˈsʌpəl/Received-Pronunciation, US
  1. To make or become supple.

    ambitransitive
  2. To make compliant, submissive, or obedient.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

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.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.