apply

English

Etymology 1

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd
Proto-Italic *ad
Proto-Italic *ad-
Latin ad-
Proto-Indo-European *pel-
Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ-der.
Latin plicō
Latin applicō
Old French applierbor.
Middle English aplien
English apply

    Inherited from Middle English aplien, borrowed from Old French applier, from Latin applicō, from ad- + plicō (“fold; arrive”). See applicant, ply.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /əˈplaɪ/
    • Audio (US):(file)
    • Rhymes: -aɪ
    • Hyphenation: ap‧ply

    Verb

    apply (third-person singular simple present applies, present participle applying, simple past and past participle applied)

    1. (transitive) To lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
      to apply cream to a rash
      • 1697, John Dryden, Translation of Virgil's Aeneid:
        He said, and to the sword his throat applied.
    2. (transitive) To put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case
      Synonyms: appropriate, devote, use
      to apply funds to the repayment of a debt
    3. (transitive) To make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant.
      We need to apply the skills we’ve learned to solve this problem.
      • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
        Yet God at last To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied.
      • 2020 July 31, deTraci Regula, “Opa! The Greeks Have a Word for It All”, in ThoughtCo‎[1], archived from the original on 22 February 2024:
        He's even founded a center based on his principles of applying opa to everyday life, dedicated to the practice of "The Opa! Way" and manifesting your inner Greekness, which he says you can have without being actually Greek.
    4. (transitive) To put closely; to join; to engage and employ diligently or with attention.
      Synonyms: attach, incline
    5. (reflexive) To work diligently and attentively.
      My parents say I could do well in school if I would apply myself.
    6. (transitive, usually reflexive) To address oneself; to refer.
    7. (intransitive) To submit oneself as a candidate (with the adposition "to" or "at" designating the recipient of the submission, and the adposition "for" designating the position).
      I recently applied to the tavern for a job as a bartender.
      Most of the colleges she applied to were ones she thought she had a good chance of getting into.
      Many of them don't know it, but almost a third of the inmates are eligible to apply for parole or work-release programs.
      • 1974 August 7, Ronald A. Frank, “SP Seeks Approval for Coast-to-Coast Digital Net”, in Computerworld, page 15:
        Southern Pacific Communications Co. (SP) has applied to the FCC for approval of the first coast-to-coast digital data transmission service.
    8. (intransitive) To pertain or be relevant.
      Synonym: extend
      That rule only applies to foreigners.
    9. (obsolete) To busy; to keep at work; to ply.
    10. (obsolete) To visit.
    Derived terms
    Descendants
    • → Cebuano: aplay
    Translations

    Etymology 2

    Etymology tree
    Proto-Indo-European *h₂ébōl
    Proto-Germanic *aplaz
    Proto-West Germanic *applu
    Old English æppel
    Middle English appel
    English apple
    Proto-Indo-European *-kos
    Proto-Germanic *-gaz
    Proto-West Germanic *-g
    Old English -iġ
    Middle English -y
    English -y
    English apply

      From apple + -y.

      Pronunciation

      Adjective

      apply (comparative more apply, superlative most apply)

      1. Alternative spelling of appley.

      References

      Anagrams

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