Where does “pliant” come from?

Pliant comes from Middle English pliaunt, from Old French ploiant, the present participle of Old French ploiier, from Latin plicāre meaning to fold or bend, from Proto-Indo-European pel-.

pliant (English): Capable of plying or bending; readily yielding to...

Definitions

  1. Capable of plying or bending; readily yielding to...

Ancestry of “pliant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpliaunt—
2Old Frenchploiant—
3Old Frenchploiierto fold
4Latinplicōto fold, bend or flex; to roll up
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpleḱ-to fold, plait, weave
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold

Words derived from “pliant”

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