ply

Meanings

Noun

• A layer of material.
• A strand that, twisted together with other strands, makes up rope or yarn.
• In two-player sequential games, a "half-turn" or a move made by one of the players.
• A condition, a state.
• A bent; a direction.

Verb

• To bend; to fold; to mould; to adapt, to modify; to change (a person's) mind, to cause (a person) to submit.
• To bend, to flex; to be bent by something, to give way or yield (to a force, etc.).
• To work at (something) diligently.
• To wield or use (a tool, a weapon, etc.) steadily or vigorously.
• To press upon; to urge persistently.
• To persist in offering something to, especially for the purpose of inducement or persuasion.
• To travel over (a route) regularly.
• To work diligently.
• To manoeuvre a sailing vessel so that the direction of the wind changes from one side of the vessel to the other; to work to windward, to beat, to tack.

Origin

• From Middle English pleit, plit, plite, from Anglo-Norman pli, plei, pleit, and Middle French pli, ploy, ply (modern French pli ("a fold, pleat")), from plier, ployer, from Latin plicāre, present active infinitive of plicō, from Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ- ("to fold, plait, weave").
• From Middle English plīen, pli, plie, from Anglo-Norman plier, plaier, pleier, ploier, and Middle French plier, ployer (modern French plier, ployer), from Old French ploiier, pleier, from Latin plicāre ("to fold"); see further at etymology 1. The word is cognate with Catalan plegar ("to bend, fold"), Italian piegare ("to bend, fold, fold up"), Old Occitan plegar, plejar, pleyar (modern Occitan plegar), Spanish plegar ("to fold").
• From apply; compare Middle English plīen, pli, plie, pleie, short for aplīen, applīen, from Old French applier, aplier, aploier, from Latin applicāre, present active infinitive of applicō, from ad- + plicō; see further at etymology 1.