Where does “plier” come from?

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

plier (Middle French): to fold

Definitions

  1. to fold

Ancestry of “plier”, step by step

plier traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old French pleier

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old FrenchpleierAlternative form of ploiier
2Latinplicāre—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpleḱ-to fold, plait, weave
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold

via Old French ploiier

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchploiierto fold
2Latinplicōto fold, bend or flex; to roll up

Words derived from “plier”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →