the.com/supple
the art of bending without breaking, which is also how you survive everything
means Bending or moving easily and gracefully without stiffness, whether describing a body, a material like leather, or a flexible mind.
from From Old French souple, from Latin supplex meaning 'bowed down, submissive, bending the knee in supplication' — the same root that gives us 'supplicate.' The word literally pictures someone kneeling to beg, possibly built from sub- ('under') plus a root tied to bending or folding. Over centuries the kneeling fell away and only the bending remained, leaving us a word about flexibility that began as a word about pleading.
- root
- Latin supplex, meaning kneeling or pleading
- willow wisdom
- flexible things outlast rigid ones in storms
- double duty
- describes both leather and minds with ease
- gymnast fact
- suppleness peaks before puberty, then quietly declines
contortionist zlata — russian performer who can fit her body through a 50cm hoop, holds world record
nadia comaneci — romanian gymnast famous for extraordinary flexibility and the first perfect 10 score in 1976
deepak thakur yoga — indian yoga master demonstrated extreme spinal flexibility and contortion poses across decades