Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unpliable” come from?

unpliable (English) comes from English pliable, from Old French ploiable, from Old French ploiier, from Latin plicō, from Proto-Indo-European pleḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European pel- — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.

unpliable (English): Not pliable

Definitions

  1. Not pliable

Ancestry of “unpliable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpliableSoft, flexible, easily bent, formed, shaped, or...
2Old Frenchploiable—
3Old Frenchploiierto fold
4Latinplicō—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpleḱ-to fold, plait, weave
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold

Words derived from “unpliable”

  • unpliably
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →