Where does “supply” come from?
Supply comes from Middle English supplie, from Old French supplier, from Latin supplēre meaning "to fill up," derived from Latin supplex "submissive," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- "to fill."
supply (English): To provide (something), to make (something) available for use
Definitions
- To provide (something), to make (something) available for use
Ancestry of “supply”, step by step
supply traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English supple
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | supple | pliant, flexible, easy to bend; lithe and agile... |
| 2 | Middle English | souple | flexible; supple |
| 3 | Old French | souple | supple |
| 4 | Latin | supplex | kneeling; begging; suppliant |
| 5 | Latin | supplicō | to pray or supplicate |
| 6 | Latin | sub- | under, sub |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |
via Middle English supplien
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | supplien | supply |
| 2 | Old French | souploier | to provide; to supply; to lower; to submit |
| 3 | Latin | supplicāre | — |