supple

[suhp-uhl]

adjective

suppler, supplest 

1. bending readily without breaking or becoming deformed; pliant; flexible.

   a supple bough.

2. characterized by ease in bending; limber; lithe.

   supple movements.

3. characterized by ease, responsiveness, and adaptability in mental action.

4. compliant or yielding.

5. obsequious; servile.

verb (used with or without object)

suppled, suppling 

1. to make or become supple.

supple

/ ˈsʌpəl /

adjective

1. bending easily without damage

2. capable of or showing easy or graceful movement; lithe

3. mentally flexible; responding readily

4. disposed to agree, sometimes to the point of servility

verb

1. rare,  to make or become supple

Other Word Forms

• suppleness noun
• unsupple adjective
• unsuppleness noun
• unsupply adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of supple¹

1250–1300; (adj.) Middle English souple flexible, compliant < Old French: soft, yielding, lithe < Latin supplic- (stem of supplex ) submissive, suppliant, equivalent to sup- sup- + -plic-, variously explained as akin to plicāre to fold ¹, bend (thus meaning “bent over”; complex ), or to plācāre to placate ¹ (thus meaning “in the attitude of a suppliant”); (v.) Middle English supplen to soften, derivative of the noun (compare Old French asoplir )

Word History and Origins

Origin of supple¹

C13: from Old French souple, from Latin supplex bowed

Example Sentences

Showy but intimate, talky yet supple, it’s murmuring assurances to rebut the very doubts he’s raising.

From Los Angeles Times

The star might be 79 years old, but his voice is still unusually supple and youthful, cutting through the night with crystalline clarity, and buoyed by The Chrome Hearts' close-knit harmonies.

From BBC

Years later, though, I tried lightly-grilled tofu that was soft and supple, with a lingering flavor.

From Salon

His firm is suppling Amtrak's new high-speed trains, but he questions whether the US has the political will "to spend the public purse on rail versus other modes of transportation".

From BBC

Vasan, who is as supple as she is solid, is costumed to accentuate the physical reality of a woman about to give birth.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• agile 
• elastic 
• flexible 
• graceful 
• limber 
• lithe 
• malleable 
• pliable 
• pliant 
• resilient 
• springy 
• svelte 
• wiry