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Added 9 October 2026

supple

/ˈsʌpəl/ verb

Latin root: supplic Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about supple at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Make pliant and flexible.
These boots are not yet suppled by frequent use

adjective

Gracefully thin and bending and moving with ease.
(used of e.g. personality traits) readily adaptable.
a supple mind
(used of persons' bodies) capable of moving or bending freely.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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