Suppliant
/ˈsʌp.li.ənt/noun
A person making a humble or urgent request, especially for mercy or aid.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces back to Latin supplex, a ritual posture-word for someone bent low in petition, and in the ancient world that physical lowering was part of the plea itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*plek-
“to bend, twist, weave”
Latin
Latin
plēctere
“to bend, fold, braid”
Latin
Latin
supplex
“bent down; kneeling in humble entreaty”
Old French
Old French
suppliant
“begging, entreating”
Middle English
English
suppliant
“one who begs or entreats humbly”
Modern English
English
suppliant
“a person making a humble or urgent request”