Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PLIABLE
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pronounce
PLIABLE:
Say it "PLY uh bull."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
It's no coincidence that our word pliable looks like compliant, multiply, duplicate, and even plié, the balletic bend.
All those words have something to do with literal or figurative bending or folding. And they all trace back to the same Latin verb, plicare.
Below are two more English words from plicare. Can you recall them?
1. "A large number (of things)," or more literally, "something with many folds" is a m____plic___.
2. Something "not making sense: not able to be understood," or more literally, "not able to be folded out," is ____plic____.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
An old meaning of the verb "to ply" is "to bend." (Today we hardly ever use that meaning.)
"Ply," along with our word "pliable," trace back to the Latin plicare, meaning "to fold, to lay, or to twist."
Something pliable is flexible, moldable, or shapeable. It's easy to bend, or easy to fold. That's the literal meaning.
Figuratively, pliable people (and sometimes things) are "easy to bend" in the sense that they're flexible, adaptable, easy to persuade, or easy to influence.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "a handful of pliable Play-Doh;" "Their young minds are so pliable."
Other forms:
pliably, pliability or pliableness
how to use it:
Pick the formal, semi-common word "pliable" to emphasize how something can be easily shaped.
That something might be literal, like a pipe cleaner, a hunk of pizza dough, a sheet of leather, or an athlete's leg muscles.
Or it might be figurative, like a child's mind, an interesting problem, an actor who fills multiple roles in the same story, or a metaphor that takes on many different meanings.
examples:
"Bake until the pears are dried and slightly darkened and the edges have curled... They will still be pliable when they are done but will crisp further as they cool."
— Ellie Krieger, "Pear Crisps," EllieKrieger.com
"'See all those buildings, Bigger?' Max asked, placing an arm about Bigger's shoulders. He spoke hurriedly, as though trying to mold a substance which was warm and pliable, but which might soon cool.
'Yeah. I see 'em...'
'You lived in one of them once, Bigger. They're made out of steel and stone. But the steel and stone don't hold 'em together. You know what holds those buildings up, Bigger?... It's the belief of men. If men stopped believing, stopped having faith, they'd come tumbling down.'"
— Richard Wright, Native Son, 1940
has this page helped you understand "pliable"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "pliable" without saying "easily shaped" or "flexible."
try it out:
Often, the word "pliable" has a positive tone: it suggests that something can bend without breaking.
For example, if you've got pliable tortillas, that's awesome: they'll fold around all the goodies you fill them with and won't crack open.
Besides good tortillas, what's another item that's wonderfully pliable?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for March is "Yup, that's a real word."
Check out the definition of a silly-sounding word--yes, a real one, from the Oxford English Dictionary--and see if you can come up with the word itself. To see the answer, scroll all the way down.
Here's an example: "This three-syllable noun ending in the -ship suffix (as in 'friendship' and 'fellowship') means 'skill in traversing snow.'" The answer is "snowmanship." (Yup, that’s a real word!)
Try this one today:
It sounds disgusting: this one-syllable noun means "stuff that you spilled."
review this word:
A. RIGID and BRITTLE.
B. SHY and SUGGESTIBLE.
C. RUDE and REBELLIOUS.
2.
In the New Yorker, Jia Tolentino describes the character Bridget Jones as "pliable," _____.
A. obsessing over her diet and her dates
B. simultaneously carrying and satirizing the plot
C. staring thoughtfully into the flame of a birthday candle
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
It's no coincidence that our word pliable looks like compliant, multiply, duplicate, and even plié, the balletic bend.
An old meaning of the verb "to ply" is "to bend." (Today we hardly ever use that meaning.)
Part of speech:
Pick the formal, semi-common word "pliable" to emphasize how something can be easily shaped.
"Bake until the pears are dried and slightly darkened and the edges have curled... They will still be pliable when they are done but will crisp further as they cool."
Explain the meaning of "pliable" without saying "easily shaped" or "flexible."
Often, the word "pliable" has a positive tone: it suggests that something can bend without breaking.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
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