REPLY
What does "REPLY" mean?
To respond in speech or writing, or the answer itself.
Meanings
- To say or write something in response. She replied that she would think it over.
- An answer given in speech or writing. His curt reply ended the conversation.
- To respond to an action with a counter-action. The army replied to the raid with a swift counterstrike. figurative
Did you know?
- 'Reply' literally means 'fold back': it shares the Latin root 'plicare' (to fold) with 'replicate' and 'pliable', so an answer was once pictured as a sheet folded back toward whoever asked.
Word origin
From Old French 'replier', 'to fold back', from Latin 'replicare', from 're-' ('back') plus 'plicare' ('to fold'); the same 'plicare' underlies 'reply', 'replicate', and 'pliable'.
Remember it
REPLY = re + ply; you fold ('ply') your words back to the sender, like a pliable sheet.
A little poem
A question hangs there-
you fold your answer back, but
silence answers too.
haiku
Wordplay
- I sent my origami friend a letter. Took forever to get a reply - he kept folding it back.
What it teaches
Even a refusal to answer is an answer; the only thing you cannot do is fail to reply.
Quick facts
What does REPLY mean?
To respond in speech or writing, or the answer itself.
Is REPLY a valid word?
Yes — REPLY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is REPLY?
REPLY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does REPLY come from?
From Old French 'replier', 'to fold back', from Latin 'replicare', from 're-' ('back') plus 'plicare' ('to fold'); the same 'plicare' underlies 'reply', 'replicate', and 'pliable'.
What can REPLY teach us?
Even a refusal to answer is an answer; the only thing you cannot do is fail to reply.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.