1 Definition
Bending or moving easily and gracefully, without stiffness or strain.
2 In Use
After years of careful oiling, the old saddle had become as supple as a worn glove.
3 Word Origin
supplex Lat. · bending, submissive → souple O.Fr. · pliant, flexible → supple Middle English
Supple began with a Latin word for someone who bows or bends in humility, a body folded low in submission. By the time it passed through Old French, the emphasis had shifted from the posture of a person to the quality of a material, so that anything yielding and easy to bend could be called souple. English borrowed it in the Middle English period, where it kept both the physical sense and a gentler, more figurative one.
💡Fun Fact
Supple has long been a favorite word of craftspeople, especially leatherworkers, who judge a good hide by how easily it flexes without cracking. Over time the word also stretched beyond the workshop into the worlds of dance, yoga, and skincare, where a supple spine or supple skin signals health and youth. Writers borrow it for the mind as well, praising a supple intellect that adapts to new ideas rather than snapping under pressure. It is a rare adjective that sounds exactly like what it describes.
