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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

3 entries under this word

Ply

Ply, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. PLIED; p. pr. & vb. n. PLYING.] [Fr. plier, to fold, to bend, to bow; Pr. plegar, pleiar, Sp. plegar, Pg. pregar, It. piegare, Lat. plicare, Gr. πλέκειν. Cf. A-S. plegan, to exercise, plegian, pleggan, to play; D. & L. Ger. plegen, H. Ger. pflegen, Icel. plaga, Sw. pläga, Dan. pleie, to attend, take care of, to be accustomed.]

  1. To fold or cover over; to lay on closely; to lay on; to put to or on with force and repetition. “And plies him with redoubled strokes.” Dryden.
  2. To urge; to solicit with pressing or persevering importunity.

He plies the duke at morning and at night. Shak. 3. To employ with diligence; to apply closely and steadily; to keep busy. Go ply thy needle: meddle not. Shak. He plies all means and opportunities in the search of truth. South. 4. To practice or perform with diligence. “Or busy housewife ply her evening care.” Gray. Their bloody task, unwearied, still they ply. Waller.

Ply, v. i.

verbintransitive

v. i. 1. To bend; to yield. [Obs.]

As they never disagreed, so all plied before them. Burnet.

The willow plied, and gave way to the gust. L’Estrange.

Sense 2. To work steadily.

Ere half these authors be read (which will soon be with plying hard and daily), they can not choose but be masters of any ordinary prose. Milton.

He was forced to ply in the streets. Spectator.

Sense 3. To go with diligence or pertinacity. “Thither he plies undaunted.” Milton.

Sense 4. To busy one’s self; to be steadily employed.

A bird new made about the banks she plies, Not far from shore, and short excursions tries. Dryden.

Sense 5. (Naut.) To endeavor to make way against the wind.

Sense 6. To make regular trips; as, a vessel plies between the two places.

Plȳ, n.

noun

n. 1. [Fr. pli, from plier. See supra.] A fold; a plait. Arbuthnot.

Sense 2. Bent; turn; direction; bias.

The late learners can not so well take the ply. Bacon.

Boswell, and others of Goldsmith's cotemporaries, . . . did not understand the secret plies of his character. W. Irving.

The czar's mind had taken a strange ply, which it retained to the last. Macaulay.

Ply is used in composition to designate folds or thicknesses of web; as, a three-ply carpet.