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souple

flexible, supple

adjective SOO-pl Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Appearance

Origin: Latin 'supplex' (bending the knee, submissive)

Also means

easy-going, adaptable

Usage Note

Souple is invariable in gender (un corps souple, une règle souple). It describes physical flexibility (a supple body) and figurative adaptability (a flexible approach). The noun is la souplesse (flexibility, suppleness). In everyday speech souple is often preferred over flexible when the sense is bodily or material.

Examples

"Une gymnaste doit avoir un corps très souple."

Natural Translation

A gymnast must have a very flexible body.

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