flexible

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈflɛk.sɪ.bəl/, /ˈflɛk.sə.bəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French flexible or directly Latin flexibilis (“that may be bent, pliant”),^[2][3][4] from flexus, the past participle of flectere (“to bend”),^[2][3] which is of uncertain origin.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Capable of being bent; mentally pliant: about 1412 in Barnhart,^[2] early 15th century in Etymonline.^[3] Willing to yield to persuasion is before 1420 in the OED.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The physical sense, capable of being bent without breaking, is from 1548 in the OED.^[5] Of a fluid, not rigid, or of winds, shifting, is an obsolete sense of 1612.^[5] Susceptible of modification or adaptation to various purposes is from 1643,^[5] as in flexible working hours.^[6] Its synonyms flexile (1630s) and flexive (1620s) have become rare.^[3] The verb flex is from before 1521, possibly a back-formation from flexible.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1412 – easily bent.^[2]
• before 1420 – yielding to persuasion.^[5]
• 1548 – pliant without breaking.^[5]
• 1643 – adaptable.^[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Able to be bent easily without breaking; pliable.
2. Able to change to suit new conditions; adaptable.
3. Easily persuaded or influenced.

Word family

• flexibility
• flexibly
• hyperflexible
• nonflexible
• semiflexible
• unflexible
• flexible time

Related words

• inflexible
• flex
• reflex
• reflect
• inflect
• deflect

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins