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
- Able to be bent easily without breaking; pliable.
- Able to change to suit new conditions; adaptable.
- Easily persuaded or influenced.
Word family
- flexibility
- flexibly
- hyperflexible
- nonflexible
- semiflexible
- unflexible
- flexible time
Related words
- inflexible
- flex
- reflex
- reflect
- inflect
- deflect
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
- ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ 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
- ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins