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Ply vs Comply - What's the difference?

ply | comply |

As verbs the difference between ply and comply

is that ply is to or ply can be to ly while comply is to yield assent; to accord; agree, or acquiesce; to adapt one's self; to consent or conform.

As a noun ply

is a layer of material.

ply

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl), from (etyl) .

Noun

(plies)
  • A layer of material.
  • A strand that, twisted together with other strands, makes up yarn or rope.
  • (colloquial) Plywood.
  • (artificial intelligence, game theory) In two-player sequential games, a "half-turn", or one move made by one of the players.
  • He proposed to build Deep Purple, a super-computer capable of 24-ply look-ahead for chess.
  • State, condition.
  • * 1749 , John Cleland, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure , Penguin 1985, p. 66:
  • You may be sure, in the ply I was now taking, I had no objection to the proposal, and was rather a-tiptoe for its accomplishment.
    Derived terms
    * (l)

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) , see Etymololgy 1.

    Verb

  • to .
  • * L'Estrange
  • The willow plied , and gave way to the gust.
  • to .
  • Derived terms
    * plier (agent noun) * pliers

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl)

    Verb

  • To ly.
  • He plied his trade as carpenter for forty-three years.
  • * Waller
  • Their bloody task, unwearied, still they ply .
  • To work diligently.
  • * Milton
  • Ere half these authors be read (which will soon be with plying hard and daily).
  • * Addison
  • He was forced to ply in the streets as a porter.
  • To vigorously.
  • He plied his ax with bloody results.
  • To ly.
  • ply the seven seas
    A steamer plies between certain ports.
  • To in offering.
  • * 1929 , , Chapter VII, Section vi
  • Esther began to cry. But when the fire had been lit specially to warm her chilled limbs and Adela had plied her with hot negus she began to feel rather a heroine.
    She plied him with liquor.
  • To press upon; to urge importunately.
  • to ply one with questions, with solicitations, or with drink
  • * Shakespeare
  • He plies the duke at morning and at night.
  • To employ diligently; to use steadily.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Go ply thy needle; meddle not.
  • (nautical) To work to windward; to beat.
  • comply

    English

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • To yield assent; to accord; agree, or acquiesce; to adapt one's self; to consent or conform.
  • * (John Milton) (1608-1674)
  • Yet this be sure, in nothing to comply , / Scandalous or forbidden in our law.
  • * (John Tillotson) (1630-1694)
  • They did servilely comply with the people in worshiping God by sensible images.
  • * 1664? , , (Hudibras)
  • He that complies against his will / Is of his own opinion still.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers)
  • , chapter=6, title= A Cuckoo in the Nest , passage=But Sophia's mother was not the woman to brook defiance. After a few moments' vain remonstrance her husband complied .}}
  • *
  • (label) To be ceremoniously courteous; to make one's compliments.
  • * 1599 , , II. ii. 371:
  • Let me comply with you in this / garb, lest my extent to the players, which I tell you must / show fairly outwards, should more appear like entertainment / than yours.
  • (label) To fulfill; to accomplish.
  • (Chapman)
  • (label) To enfold; to embrace.
  • * (1591-1674)
  • Seemed to comply , / Cloudlike, the daintie deitie.

    Usage notes

    * Usually followed by "with".

    Antonyms

    * violate

    Anagrams

    *