Ply

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /plaɪ/

Definitions

1. To participate in the act of shaping or manipulating a material while also contributing to a collective endeavor or undertaking
2. To adapt or modify an object in response to various influences while simultaneously engaging in a process of layering or thickness
3. To engage in the practice of working with a substance through techniques of shaping or layering while also being part of a larger collaborative effort

Etymology: The verb "ply" in the sense of working at a trade comes from "apply," not from the fold-and-bend family that gave us "pleat" and "ply" in the sense of a layer of cloth or wood. The trade sense is a clipped form: people "apply" themselves to a job, and over time the verb shortened to "ply," keeping its core idea of steady, diligent employment. A boatman who plies the river or a cabbie who plies the streets is still doing what the original verb described, working a route with regular effort. The other "ply" is a different word entirely. It descends from Old French "plier" and "ployer," meaning "to bend, fold," traced back to Latin "plicāre," "to bend, fold, roll up." That same root gives us the sense of a fold, a thickness of thread twisted into yarn, or a layer of plywood. The two words only look alike because they share a spelling after centuries of separate development.

Synonyms: apply, use, practice, operate, work

Antonyms: neglect, ignore, abstain