ply
Pronunciation: (plī), [key] — v., plied, ply•ing.
—v.t. - to work with or at diligently; employ busily; use: to ply the needle.
- to carry on, practice, or pursue busily or steadily: to ply a trade.
- to treat with or apply to (something) repeatedly (often fol. by with): to ply a fire with fresh fuel.
- to assail persistently: to ply horses with a whip.
- to supply with or offer something pressingly to: to ply a person with drink.
- to address (someone) persistently or importunately, as with questions, solicitations, etc.; importune.
- to pass over or along (a river, stream, etc.) steadily or on a regular basis: boats that ply the Mississippi.
—v.i. - to run or travel regularly over a fixed course or between certain places, as a boat, bus, etc.
- to perform one's work or office busily or steadily: to ply with the oars; to ply at a trade.
ply
Pronunciation: (plī), [key] — n., pl. v., plies, plied, ply•ing.
—n. - a thickness or layer.
- a layer of reinforcing fabric for a tire.
- a unit of yarn: single ply.
- one of the sheets of veneer that are glued together to make plywood.
- plywood.
- bent, bias, or inclination.
—v.t. - to bend, fold, or mold.
—v.i. - to bend, incline, or yield.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.