Where does “pliable” come from?

Pliable comes from Old French ploiable, from Old French ploiier, from Latin plicare and plico, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pel-, meaning to fold.

pliable (English): Soft, flexible, easily bent, formed, shaped, or...

Definitions

  1. Soft, flexible, easily bent, formed, shaped, or...

Ancestry of “pliable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchploiable—
2Old Frenchploiierto fold
3Latinplicōto fold, bend or flex; to roll up
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpleḱ-to fold, plait, weave
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold

Words derived from “pliable”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleḱ- →Every word from Latin plicō →