ply

ply ¹

 (plī)

tr.v. plied (plīd), ply·ing, plies (plīz)

1. To join together, as by molding or twisting.

2. To double over (cloth, for example).

n. pl. plies (plīz)

1. A layer, as of doubled-over cloth or of paperboard.

2. One of the sheets of wood glued together to form plywood.

3. A layer of rubber-coated fabric, often of nylon or polyester cords, forming the body of an automobile tire.

4. One of the strands twisted together to make yarn, rope, or thread. Often used in combination: three-ply cord.

5. A bias; an inclination.

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

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ply ²

 (plī)

v. plied (plīd), ply·ing, plies (plīz)

v.tr.

1. To use diligently; wield: ply a knitting needle.

2. To engage in diligently; practice: plied the carpenter's trade. See Synonyms at handle.

3. To traverse or sail over regularly: Trading ships plied the routes between coastal ports.

4. To continue offering something to (someone); ensure that (someone) is abundantly served: plied their guests with excellent food.

5. To ask questions or make requests of (someone) insistently.

v.intr.

1. To traverse a route or course regularly: The boat plies between the islands on a weekly schedule.

2. To perform or work diligently or regularly: plied at the weaver's trade for 20 years.

3. Nautical To work against the wind by a zigzag course; tack.

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[Middle English plien, from applien, to apply; see apply.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ply

(plaɪ)

vb (mainly tr) , plies, plying or plied

1. to carry on, pursue, or work at (a job, trade, etc)

2. to manipulate or wield (a tool)

3. to sell (goods, wares, etc), esp at a regular place

4. (usually foll by with) to provide (with) or subject (to) repeatedly or persistently: he plied us with drink the whole evening; to ply a horse with a whip; he plied the speaker with questions.

5. (intr) to perform or work steadily or diligently: to ply with a spade.

6. (Nautical Terms) (also intr) (esp of a ship) to travel regularly along (a route) or in (an area): to ply between Dover and Calais; to ply the trade routes.

[C14 plye, short for aplye to apply]

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ply

(plaɪ)

n, pl plies

1.

a. a layer, fold, or thickness, as of cloth, wood, yarn, etc

b. (in combination): four-ply.

2. (Building) a thin sheet of wood glued to other similar sheets to form plywood

3. (Textiles) one of the strands twisted together to make rope, yarn, etc

vb (tr)

(Textiles) to twist together (two or more single strands) to make yarn

[C15: from Old French pli fold, from plier to fold, from Latin plicāre]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ply¹

(plaɪ)

v. plied, ply•ing. v.t.

1. to work with diligently; employ busily; wield: to ply the needle.

2. to carry on, practice, or pursue busily or steadily: to ply a trade.

3. to assail repeatedly or persistently: to ply horses with a whip.

4. to supply or offer something pressingly to: to ply a person with drink.

5. to address persistently, as with questions; importune.

6. to pass over or along (a river, stream, etc.) steadily or regularly: boats plying the Mississippi.

v.i.

7. to run or travel regularly over a fixed course or between certain places, as a boat or bus.

8. to perform one's work or office busily or steadily: to ply with the oars.

[1300–50; Middle English plien, aph. variant of aplien to apply]

ply²

(plaɪ)

n., pl. plies.

1. a thickness or layer.

2. a layer of reinforcing fabric for an automobile tire.

3. a unit of yarn: single ply.

4. one of the sheets of veneer glued together to make plywood.

5. bent, bias, or inclination.

[1300–50; Middle English plien < Middle French plier to fold, bend, variant of ployer, Old French pleier < Latin plicāre to fold; see fold¹]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

ply

- From Latin plicare, "fold," a thickness or any of the layers of a multilayer material, such as plywood.

See also related terms for layers.

Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

ply

Past participle: plied
Gerund: plying

Imperative

ply

ply

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	ply - one of the strands twisted together to make yarn or rope or thread; often used in combination; "three-ply cord"; "four-ply yarn" strand - line consisting of a complex of fibers or filaments that are twisted together to form a thread or a rope or a cable
	2.	ply - (usually in combinations) one of several layers of cloth or paper or wood as in plywood layer, bed - single thickness of usually some homogeneous substance; "slices of hard-boiled egg on a bed of spinach" combining form - a bound form used only in compounds; "`hemato-' is a combining form in words like `hematology'"
Verb	1.	ply - give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance; "The hostess provided lunch for all the guests" cater, provide, supply staff - provide with staff; "This position is not always staffed" drench - force to drink regale, treat - provide with choice or abundant food or drink; "Don't worry about the expensive wine--I'm treating"; "She treated her houseguests with good food every night" board - provide food and lodging (for); "The old lady is boarding three men" feed, give - give food to; "Feed the starving children in India"; "don't give the child this tough meat" feed - serve as food for; be the food for; "This dish feeds six" dish, dish up, serve up, dish out, serve - provide (usually but not necessarily food); "We serve meals for the homeless"; "She dished out the soup at 8 P.M."; "The entertainers served up a lively show" cater - supply food ready to eat; for parties and banquets pimp, procure, pander - arrange for sexual partners for others help, serve - help to some food; help with food or drink; "I served him three times, and after that he helped himself" power - supply the force or power for the functioning of; "The gasoline powers the engines" feed - provide as food; "Feed the guests the nuts" pander, gratify, indulge - yield (to); give satisfaction to underlay - provide with a base, support, lining, or backing; "underlay the boards with joists" fulfil, fulfill, satisfy, meet, fill - fill or meet a want or need horse - provide with a horse or horses shower - provide abundantly with; "He showered her with presents" accommodate - provide with something desired or needed; "Can you accommodate me with a rental car?" nourish, nurture, sustain - provide with nourishment; "We sustained ourselves on bread and water"; "This kind of food is not nourishing for young children" fix up - find (something or someone) for; "I'll fix you up with a nice girl" gutter - provide with gutters; "gutter the buildings" give - transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody; "I gave her my money"; "can you give me lessons?"; "She gave the children lots of love and tender loving care"
	2.	ply - apply oneself diligently; "Ply one's trade" do, perform - get (something) done; "I did my job"
	3.	ply - travel a route regularly; "Ships ply the waters near the coast" run jaunt, travel, trip - make a trip for pleasure black market, run - deal in illegally, such as arms or liquor
	4.	ply - join together as by twisting, weaving, or molding; "ply fabric" bring together, join - cause to become joined or linked; "join these two parts so that they fit together"
	5.	ply - wield vigorously; "ply an axe" wield, handle, manage - handle effectively; "The burglar wielded an axe"; "The young violinist didn't manage her bow very well"
	6.	ply - use diligently; "ply your wits!" apply, employ, use, utilise, utilize - put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose; "use your head!"; "we only use Spanish at home"; "I can't use this tool"; "Apply a magnetic field here"; "This thinking was applied to many projects"; "How do you utilize this tool?"; "I apply this rule to get good results"; "use the plastic bags to store the food"; "He doesn't know how to use a computer"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

ply

¹

verb

1. provide, supply, shower, lavish, regale Elsie plied her with food and drink.

2. bombard, press, harass, besiege, beset, assail, importune Giovanni plied him with questions.

3. work at, follow, exercise, pursue, carry on, practise streetmarkets with stallholders plying their trade

4. travel, go, ferry, shuttle The brightly-coloured boats ply between the islands.

5. use, handle, employ, swing, manipulate, wield, utilize With startling efficiency, the chef plied his knives.

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ply

²

noun thickness, leaf, sheet, layer, fold, strand The plastic surfaces are covered with teak ply.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

ply ¹

verb

To bend together or make a crease in so that one part lies over another:

crease, double, fold, pleat, ruck.

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ply ²

verb

1. To use with or as if with the hands:

handle, manipulate, wield.

2. To bring to bear steadily or forcefully:

exercise, exert, put out, throw, wield.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

سُمْك، طَبَقَهيَسْتَعْمِل بِشِدَّهيَعْمَل ، يَشْتَغِل كَيُواصِل تَزْويد

dobře ovládatpramenprovozovatsílastále nalévat

bruge energiskforsyneudøve

ausüben-fachhantierennötigen

épaisseurexercer

iîka, vinna viîlagnota, beitaveita óspart

stratousareassillarecapofare la spola

apgādātkārtarīkotiesšķiedrastrādāt, pūlēties

bruke flittigforsyne rikelig-tråds

dobre ovládaťstále nalievať

çalışmakikrama boğmakkatkullanmaksürekli çalışmak

不断供应从事使劲挥舞层

ply

[plaɪ]

A. VT

1. [+ needle, tool] → manejar, emplear; [+ oars] → emplear; [+ river, route] → navegar por (liter) [+ sea] → navegar por, surcar (liter)
to ply one's trade → ejercer su profesión

2. to ply sb for information → importunar a algn pidiéndole información
to ply sb with questions → acosar a algn con preguntas
to ply sb with drink → no parar de ofrecer de beber a algn

B. VI to ply between → ir y venir de
to ply for hire → ir en busca de clientes

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ply

[ˈplaɪ]

n

(= plywood) → contreplaqué m

[wool] → fil m

[wood] → feuille f, épaisseur f

vt

[+ tool] → manier

[+ trade] → exercer
to ply one's trade → exercer son métier

to ply sb with drink → donner continuellement à boire à qn
He plied me with vodka all evening → Il m'a fait boire de la vodka toute la soirée.
to ply sb with food and drink
They plied us with food and drink → Ils nous offraient constamment à manger et à boire.
to ply sb with questions → bombarder qn de questions

vi

[ship] → faire la navette
to ply between ... and ... [ship, aircraft, vehicle] → faire la navette entre ... et ...
the ferry that plies between Dover and Boulogne → le ferry qui fait la navette entre Douvres et Boulogne three ply

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

ply

¹

n three-ply (wood) → dreischichtig; tissues → dreilagig; three-ply wool → Dreifachwolle f, → dreifädige Wolle; what ply is this wool? → wievielfach ist diese Wolle?, wie viele Fäden hat diese Wolle?

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ply

²

vt

(= work with, use) tool, brush etc → gebrauchen, umgehen mit, führen; (= work busily with) tool, brush etc → fleißig führen or umgehen mit

(= work at) trade → ausüben, betreiben, nachgehen (+dat)

(ships) sea, river, route → befahren

to ply somebody with questions → jdn mit Fragen überhäufen; to ply somebody with drink(s) → jdn immer wieder zum Trinken auffordern; she kept her guests well plied with drinks → sie sorgte dafür, dass ihren Gästen die Getränke nicht ausgingen

vi (ship) to ply between → verkehren zwischen; to ply for hire → seine Dienste anbieten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

ply

¹ [plaɪ]

1. n (of wool) → capo; (of wood) → strato

2. adj three-ply wood → compensato a tre strati
three-ply wool → lana a tre capi

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ply

² [plaɪ]

1. vt (knitting needle, tool) → maneggiare; (sea, river, route) → viaggiare regolarmente su
to ply one's trade → esercitare il proprio mestiere
to ply sb with questions → continuare a far domande a qn
to ply sb with drink → continuare a offrir da bere a qn

2. vi to ply between → far la spola fra, fare servizio regolare fra
to ply for hire (taxi) → andare avanti e indietro in attesa di clienti

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

ply¹

(plai) verb

1. an old word for to work at. He plies his trade as weaver. verrig werk يَعْمَل ، يَشْتَغِل كَ работя exercer provozovat ausüben udøve ασκώ επάγγελμα (αρχ.) ejercer ametit pidama کار کردن harjoittaa ammattia exercer לְהַצִיע שֵׁירוּתִים आना-जाना raditi s dolgozik mengerjakan iðka, vinna við esercitare ～にせいを出す (일, 장사를) 하다 užsiimti strādāt, pūlēties bekerja beoefenenutøve, driveuprawiać, pracować كار كول exercer a-şi face meseria (de) заниматься vykonávať opravljati raditi svoj posao arbeta träget ทำงาน çalışmak, yapmak 從事 займатися چلانا làm việc 从事

2. to use (a tool etc) vigorously. oorlaai يَسْتَعْمِل بِشِدَّه употребявам manejar dobře ovládat hantieren mit bruge energisk χειρίζομαιmanejar osavalt käsitsema استفاده کردن käytellä manier vigoureusement לַעֲבוֹד קָשֶׁה עִם- काम में लाना rukovati használ menggunakan nota, beita maneggiare せっせと使う 부지런히 놀리다 energingai darbuotis rīkoties (ar kaut ko) menggunakan sst hanterenbruke flittigmachać ګټه پورته كول manejar a mânui усердно работать; налегать dobre ovládať (pridno) uporabljati vešto baratati använda, bruka ใช้อย่างคล่องแคล่ว kullanmak, sürekli çalışmak 使勁揮舞 старанно працювати استعمال کرنا điều khiển 使劲挥舞

3. to keep supplying. They plied their guests with drink. voorsien يُواصِل تَزْويد доставям encher de stále nalévat nötigen zu forsyne στουμπώνω, προσφέρω φορτικά no parar de ofrecer pakkumist jätkama رساندن tyrkyttää fournir sans arrêt לְסַפֵּק लगे रहना या लग जाना obilno nuditi pićem ellát memberi veita óspart どんどん出す 귀찮게 권하다 primygtinai siūlyti, vaišinti apgādāt menghidangkan sesuatu tdk henti-henti voerenforsyne rikeligraczyć رسول encher de a copleşi cu усиленно угощать stále nalievať redno oskrbovati snabdevati bjuda, traktera จัดหาให้ ikrama boğmak 不斷供應 частувати, наполегливо пригощати فراہم کرتے رہنا tiếp liên tục 不断供应

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ply²

(plai) noun

a thickness, layer or strand, as in three-ply / two-ply wool. laag سُمْك، طَبَقَه пласт camada síla, pramen -fach -trådet φύλλο, κλωνί capa, cabo, chapa kiht لایه؛ لا -säikeinen, -viiluinen épaisseur, fil בַּעַל שְׁכָבוֹת लकड़ी debljina -rétegű, -szálú lapisan, lipatan lag capo 重ね 두께, 층 gija, sluoksnis kārta; šķiedra lapis laaglag, –tråds warstwa لايه، لا، پوښ، مخ camada grosime, fir слой hrúbka; prameň debelina (blaga); vlakno sloj lager, skikt ความหนาเป็นชั้น kat, tabaka 層(厚度) петля; виток پرت، تہہ lớp gỗ 层（厚度）

ˈplywood noun, adjective

(of) a material made up of thin layers of wood glued together. a plywood box. laaghout خَشَب مُكَوَّن من طَبَقات шперплат compensado překližka das Sperrholz krydsfiner; krydsfiner- κόντρα πλακέ madera contrachapada vineer تخته چندلا vaneri contre-plaquéדיקט परतदार लकड़ी, परती लकड़ी šperploča furnérlemez plywood, kayu lapis krossviður compensato 合板 합판 fanera finieris; saplāksnis papan lapis gelaagd hout kryssfinersklejka, dykta څو لايه تخته يا څو پوښه تخته contraplacado placaj фанера preglejka vezana plošča šperploča plywood, kryssfaner ไม้อัด kontrplâk 膠合板 фанера پلائي لکڑي، پرت دار لکڑي gỗ dán 胶合板

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.