Supple
/ˈsʌpəl/noun
Able to bend or move easily without breaking; flexible.
Did you know?Supple is linked to Latin supplex, the source of “supplication”—a posture of kneeling or bending before someone to beg for mercy.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*plek-
“To fold, plait, or weave”
Classical Latin
Latin
plicāre
“To fold or bend”
Classical Latin
Latin
supplex
“Kneeling, submissive, or beseeching; traditionally analyzed as “folded beneath””
12th–13th Century
Old French
souple
“Flexible, yielding, or easily bent”
14th Century
Middle English
souple
“Flexible or yielding”
Modern English
English
supple
“Flexible in movement or texture”