Category:Ply

Ply, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plied; p. pr. & vb. n. Plying.] Etym: [oe. Plien, f. plier to fold, to bend, fr. L. plicare; akin to gr. Flechten. Cf. Apply, complex, display, duplicity, employ, exploit, Implicate, plait, pliant, flax.]

1. To bend. [obs.] As men may warm wax with handes plie. Chaucer.

2. To lay on closely, or in folds; to work upon steadily, or with Repeated acts; to press upon; to urge importunately; as, to ply one With questions, with solicitations, or with drink. And plies him with redoubled strokes dryden. He plies the duke at morning and at night. Shak.

3. To employ diligently; to use steadily. Go ply thy needle; meddle not. Shak.

4. To practice or perform with diligence; to work at. Their bloody task, unwearied, still they ply. Waller.

Ply Ply, v. i.

1. To bend; to yield. [obs.] It would rather burst atwo than plye. Chaucer. The willow plied, and gave way to the gust. L'estrange.

2. To act, go, or work diligently and steadily; especially, to do Something by repeated actions; to go back and forth; as, a steamer Plies between certain ports. Ere half these authors be read (which will soon be with plying hard And daily). Milton. He was forced to ply in the streets as a porter. Addison. The heavy hammers and mallets plied. Longfellow.

3. (naut.)

Defn: to work to windward; to beat.

Ply Ply, n. Etym: [cf. F. pli, fr. plier. See ply, v.]

1. A fold; a plait; a turn or twist, as of a cord. Arbuthnot.

2. Bent; turn; direction; bias. The late learners can not so well take the ply. Bacon. Boswell, and others of goldsmith's contemporaries,. . . did not Understand the secret plies of his character. W. Irving. The czar's mind had taken a strange ply, which it retained to the Last. Macaulay.

Note: ply is used in composition to designate folds, or the number of Webs interwoven; as, a three-ply carpet.