Where does “plier” come from?

plier (French) comes from Latin plicō, from Proto-Indo-European pleḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European pel- — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.

plier (French): to fold; to fold up; to bend

Definitions

  1. to fold; to fold up; to bend

Ancestry of “plier”, step by step

plier traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin plicō

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

via Latin plicāre

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinplicāre—

Words derived from “plier”

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