apply
Definitions
To make a formal request, especially for a job, place, or permission
申请，请求
To put or spread a substance onto a surface
涂，敷，施加
To be relevant to a particular person or situation
适用，关系到
To put something to practical use; (apply oneself) to work hard at something
运用，应用；(apply oneself) 专心努力
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedap- (a form of ad-, "toward") + ply (the French-worn form of plic, "fold") = "fold toward, lay one thing onto another." That single image runs through every sense: you apply paint to a wall (lay it on), apply a rule to a case (lay it over), and apply for a job (lay yourself toward the position). The -ply spelling hides the fold, but it's the same root as complicate and explicit.
Root plic still carries 55 more wordsWhy It Means This
apply looks nothing like its Latin cousins complicate and explicit, but it's the same root. Latin plicāre (fold) passed through Old French, where it softened into -ply. So apply (ad- + plicāre) is literally "to fold toward" — to lay one thing against another. Once that clicks, employ ("fold into work"), display and deploy ("unfold, spread out") all reveal themselves as members of the same fold-family wearing French spelling.
Usage Guide
- apply for + a thing you want (a job, a grant, a visa): apply for a position
- apply to + an institution or a situation: apply to Harvard; the rule applies to you
- apply oneself = focus and work hard, a fixed idiom
Note: "apply for" requests something; "apply to" targets where the request goes or what a rule covers — mixing them up is a common error.
Example Sentences
- 1.
She applied for three jobs and got two interviews.
- 2.
Apply a thin layer of cream to the affected area.
- 3.
The same rule applies to everyone, no exceptions.
- 4.
If you apply yourself, you'll pass the exam easily.