supple
pronunciation
How to pronounce supple in British English:
UK [ˈsʌpl]
How to pronounce supple in American English:
US [ˈsʌpl]
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- Verb:
- make pliant and flexible
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- Adjective:
- gracefully slender; moving and bending with ease
- (used of e.g. personality traits) readily adaptable
- (used of persons' bodies) capable of moving or bending freely
Word Origin
- supple (adj.)
- c. 1300, "soft, tender," from Old French souple, sople "pliant, flexible; humble, submissive" (12c.), from Gallo-Roman *supples, from Latin supplex "submissive, humbly begging, beseeching, kneeling in entreaty," literally "bending, kneeling down," perhaps an altered form of *supplacos "humbly pleading, appeasing," from sub "under" + placare "appease" (see placate). Meaning "pliant" is from late 14c.; figurative sense of "artfully obsequious, capable of adapting oneself to the wishes and opinions of others" is from c. 1600. Supple-chapped (c. 1600) was used of a flatterer. Related: Suppleness.
Antonym
Example
- 1. It will also help make your skin smooth and supple .
- 2. What you need toknowto keep your skin smooth and supple .
- 3. Other tests suggested the tomato-based diet had boosted production of collagen , the protein that keeps skin supple .
- 4. Manufacturers could use the new supple steel wire to draw in space , making strong , rust-free hooks , safety pins , clothes hangers , and paper clips .
- 5. Full and supple or thin and sexy , no matter what , they can be used to deliver many sexy messages .