ply

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Above you see two skeins of Rowanspun 4-ply, which is discontinued.

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Definitions (43)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (15)

  1. transitive verb To join together, as by molding or twisting.
  2. transitive verb To double over (cloth, for example).
  3. noun A layer, as of doubled-over cloth or of paperboard.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (17)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (8)

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Examples (47)

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same contextWord Family

ply:   plied ·  plying ·  plies
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. Middle English plien, from Old French plier, alteration of pleier, from Latin plicāre, to fold; see plek- in Indo-European roots.
  2. Middle English plien, from applien, to apply; see apply.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English plyen, plien, bend, mold (as wax), from Old French plier, pleier, ploier, fold, bend, plait, ply, French plier, also ployer, fold, bend, etc., = Provencal pleiar, plegar = Spanish plegar = Portuguese pregar = Italian piegare, fold, bend, from Latin plicare (past participle plieātus and plĭcĭtus), fold, lay or wind together, double up, = Greek πλἐκειν, twine, twist, weave, tie, infold, etc.; akin to L. plectere, weave, whence ult. plait, etc.: see plait. From Latin plicare are ult English ply, apply, comply, imply, reply, etc., also ploy, deploy, employ, etc., display, splay, etc., plicate, complicate, explicate, implicate, supplicate, etc., explicit, implicit, etc., complex, complice, accomplice, etc., simple, duplex, double, triple, quadruple, etc., multiple, etc., supple, etc., pliable, pliant, etc.; from the related L. plectere, weave, are ult. English plait, pleat, plat, plight, pleach, plash, plexus, complexion, perplex, etc.
  2. from ply, v.
 

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/plai/
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