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
- Capable of plying or bending; readily yielding to...
Ancestry of “pliant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | pliaunt | — |
| 2 | Old French | ploiant | — |
| 3 | Old French | ploiier | to fold |
| 4 | Latin | plicō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pleḱ- | to fold, plait, weave |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |
Words derived from “pliant”