supple

[suhp-uh l] /ˈsʌp əl/

adjective, suppler, supplest.

bending readily without breaking or becoming deformed; pliant; flexible:

a supple bough.

characterized by ease in bending; limber; lithe:

supple movements.

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

compliant or yielding.

obsequious; servile.

verb (used with object), verb (used without object), suppled, suppling.

to make or become supple.

Origin

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 fold¹, bend (thus meaning “bent over”; cf. complex), or to plācāre to placate (thus meaning “in the attitude of a suppliant”); (v.) Middle English supplen to soften, derivative of the noun (compare Old French asoplir)

Related forms

suppleness, noun

unsupple, adjective

unsuppleness, noun

unsupply, adverb

Examples from the web for supple

His supple intellect, burgeoning political ambitions, and organizing prowess have garnered far less attention.
My ankles also felt stronger from maintaining my balance on the supple jumping surface.
The tough outer shell is soft and supple for unrestricted movement and a natural feel.
Ever supple, the drugs business has sought new premises.
But a supple and flexible civilian-military chain of command is an immensely useful tool.
To build a driving simulator of this complexity, the engine gets tossed out and replaced by a supple, sophisticated computer.
Because of their size, they will not be able to supple their country with normal sources for long.
But the unconscious mind gives us other, more supple ways.
The flutes answer with a supple ascending line, requesting that the horns be more specific.
It makes you feel round and supple, and to have a little life inside you is amazing.

British Dictionary definitions for supple

supple

/ˈsʌpəl/

adjective

bending easily without damage

capable of or showing easy or graceful movement; lithe

mentally flexible; responding readily

disposed to agree, sometimes to the point of servility

verb

(rare) to make or become supple

Derived Forms

suppleness, noun

Word Origin

C13: from Old French souple, from Latin supplex bowed

Word Origin and History for supple

adj.

c.1300, from Old French souple "pliant, flexible," from Gallo-Romance *supples, from Latin supplex (genitive supplicis) "submissive, humbly begging," literally "bending, kneeling down," thought to be an altered form of *supplacos "humbly pleading, appeasing," from sub "under" + placare "appease" (see placate).