Yelding

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Definitions

1. Soft and flexible enough to give way under pressure ; inclined to accept the wishes or authority of others without resistance
2. Pliable and bending easily when pressed ; ready to comply with the demands or opinions of another person
3. Easily bent or compressed under force ; willing to submit and give in to someone else's will

Etymology: "Yelding" is an archaic English word meaning "yielding," and it survives mainly in older poetry and in the Bible, where the sense is a gentle giving way or a readiness to submit. It is the present participle of the verb "yield," which comes from Old English "gieldan," meaning to pay back, repay, or render what is owed. That financial sense of repaying a debt is the root of the modern idea of giving way, since to yield was originally to give something up as due. The spelling "yelding," with the -ing ending, is an older form that shows the participle built directly onto the verb. Over time, the spelling shifted to "yielding," with the doubled vowel sound reflected in the modern form. The earlier version was common in Middle English and early modern texts, and printers and writers used both forms for centuries before the modern spelling won out.