different between bly vs ply

English

Etymology

Probably from a dialectal variant of blee (“complexion, aspect, colour, hue”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bla?/

Noun

bly (plural blies)

1. (now chiefly dialectal) Likeness; resemblance; look aspect; species; character.

   I see a bly of your father about you.

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bl?i/

Etymology 1

From Dutch blijven, from Middle Dutch bliven, from Old Dutch bl?van (“to remain”), from Proto-Germanic *bil?ban? (“to remain”).

Verb

bly (present bly, present participle blywende, past participle gebly)

1. to live (somewhere)

2. to stay; to remain

Etymology 2

From Dutch blij, from Middle Dutch blide, from Old Dutch *bl?thi, from Proto-West Germanic *bl?þ?, from Proto-Germanic *bl?þiz.

Adjective

bly (attributive blye, comparative blyer, superlative blyste)

1. happy

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?b?ly??]

Etymology 1

From Old Norse blý.

Noun

bly n (singular definite blyet, not used in plural form)

1. lead (metal)
2. (informal) ammunition for a firearm
   • 2010, Niels Ole Qvist, Tango 4, Gyldendal A/S ?ISBN

     Han holder af at stå i skyggen under bliktaget og spy bly ud over terrænet uden at blive forstyrret.

     He likes to stand in the shade under the roof and pump lead out over the terrain without being interrupted.

   • 2015, Nicolai Lilin, Sibirisk opdragelse: Opvækst i en kriminel underverden, Art People ?ISBN

     Mel skød som sædvanlig fuldstændig vildt, idet han forsøgte at lave maskingeværssalver med sin pistol, så der fløj bly i alle retninger.

     As usual, Mel shot wildly, as he attempted to make machine gun salvos with his pistol, so that lead went in all directions.

Declension

Synonyms

• (metal): plumbum (rare)

Etymology 2

From Old Norse *bljúgr, whence also Icelandic bljúgur, Swedish blyg. Compare also Middle High German bliuc.

Adjective

bly

1. shy, timid
   • 2014, Robyn Grady, Michelle Reid, Sandra Marton, Altid hos dig/Ægteskab på afveje/Den uskyldige pige, Förlaget Harlequin AB ?ISBN

     Hun ligger som regel stadig inde i sengen. Hun er meget bly.

     She usually still lies in the bed. She is very shy.

   • 2014, Lone Klint Grønbæk, Camino: Vandring og forandring, BoD – Books on Demand ?ISBN, page 61

     Daniella, den yngste af de 3 italienske nonner, var meget kontaktsøgende. Hun var, modsat de andre, endnu ikke bly, ydmyg og privat.

     Daniella, the youngest of the three Italian nuns, was very extroverted. She was, unlike the others, not yet shy, humble and private.

Derived terms

• bly viol

Etymology 3

Derived from the adjective bly; probably modelled after sky (“shyness”), which is also related to an identical adjective sky (“shy”).

Noun

bly

1. (archaic) Reluctance to express thoughts.
   • 1848, Nyt historisk tidsskrift, page 58

     thi Konger og Stormænd have Alting undtagen Sandhedsmænd og behøve derfor meest de Bøger, som dristig uden Bly og Frygt paaminde os i alle vore Gierninger; de ere ikke alle troe Venner, der ere Kongetienere."

     for kings and lords have everything but men of truth and therefore are in greatest need of the books which, boldly and without worry and fear, remind us in all our doings that not all those who serve kings are faithful friends.

References

• “bly” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “bly,2” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “bly” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse blý

Noun

bly n (definite singular blyet, uncountable)

1. lead (material and chemical element, symbol Pb)

Derived terms

• blyfri

References

• “bly” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse blý

Noun

bly n (definite singular blyet, uncountable)

1. lead (material and chemical element, symbol Pb)

References

• “bly” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse blý.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bly?/

Noun

bly n (uncountable)

1. lead (chemical element)

Declension

Related terms

• blyad
• blyfri
• blyerts
• blytung

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /pla?/
• Rhymes: -a?

Etymology 1

From Middle English pleit, plit, plite (“a fold, pleat, wrinkle; braid, strand in a braided cord, ply”), from Anglo-Norman pli, plei, pleit, and Middle French pli, ploy, ply (“a fold, pleat; joint in armour; situation, state”) (modern French pli (“a fold, pleat”)), from plier, ployer (“to bend, fold”), from Latin plic?re, present active infinitive of plic? (“to bend, fold, roll up”), from Proto-Indo-European *ple?- (“to fold, plait, weave”).

Noun

ply (countable and uncountable, plural ply or plies or plys)

1. A layer of material.
2. A strand that, twisted together with other strands, makes up rope or yarn.
3. (colloquial) Short for plywood.
4. (artificial intelligence, combinatorial game theory) In two-player sequential games, a "half-turn" or a move made by one of the players.
5. (now chiefly Scotland) A condition, a state.

Translations

Derived terms

• plywood

Etymology 2

From Middle English pl?en, pli, plie (“to bend, fold, mould, shape; to be flexible; to be submissive, humble oneself; to compel someone to submit”), from Anglo-Norman plier, plaier, pleier, ploier, and Middle French plier, ployer (“to bend, fold; to be submissive; to compel someone to submit”) (modern French plier, ployer), from Old French ploiier, pleier (“to fold”), from Latin plic?re (“to fold”); see further at etymology 1. The word is cognate with Catalan plegar (“to bend, fold”), Italian piegare (“to bend, fold, fold up”), Old Occitan plegar, plejar, pleyar (“to fold”) (modern Occitan plegar), Spanish plegar (“to fold”).

Verb

ply (third-person singular simple present plies, present participle plying, simple past and past participle plied)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To bend; to fold; to mould; (figuratively) to adapt, to modify; to change (a person's) mind, to cause (a person) to submit.
2. (intransitive) To bend, to flex; to be bent by something, to give way or yield (to a force, etc.).

Derived terms

• plier (agent noun)
• pliers

Translations

Etymology 3

From apply; compare Middle English pl?en, pli, plie, pleie (“to place (something) around, on, or over, to cover; to apply, use; to strive”), short for apl?en, appl?en (“to combine, join; to attach; to assemble; to use, be of use; to allot; to apply; to inflict; to go; to ply, steer; to comply, submit”), from Old French applier, aplier, aploier (“to bend; to apply”), from Latin applic?re, present active infinitive of applic? (“to apply; to attach, join; to add”), from ad- (“prefix meaning ‘to, towards’”) + plic? (“to bend, fold, roll up”); see further at etymology 1.

Verb

ply (third-person singular simple present plies, present participle plying, simple past and past participle plied)

1. (transitive) To work at (something) diligently.
2. (transitive) To wield or use (a tool, a weapon, etc.) steadily or vigorously.
3. (transitive) To press upon; to urge persistently.
4. (transitive) To persist in offering something to, especially for the purpose of inducement or persuasion.
5. (transitive, intransitive, transport) To travel over (a route) regularly.
6. (intransitive, obsolete) To work diligently.
7. (intransitive, nautical, obsolete) To manoeuvre a sailing vessel so that the direction of the wind changes from one side of the vessel to the other; to work to windward, to beat, to tack.

Translations

Noun

ply

1. A bent; a direction.

References

Further reading

• ply (layer) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• ply (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia