supply

Definitions

sup- (a form of sub-, 'from below, up') + ply (Latin plēre, 'fill,' softened through French) = 'to fill up from below.' Picture topping up a tank from underneath until it is full again — that is supplying. The Latin supplēre passed through Old French, where plēre became -ply, which is why supply doesn't look like its 'fill' relatives complete and replenish.

Why It Means This

supply is the most disguised member of the 'fill' family. Latin supplēre (sup- 'up from below' + plēre 'fill') traveled through Old French, where plēre softened into -ply — the same sound change that turned plicāre into apply and employ. So the everyday word supply hides a vivid image: filling something back up to the level it should be. That is why a supply is always an amount available to fill a need, and to supply is to be the one doing the filling.

Common Collocations

• 1.water supply供水
• 2.power supply电源
• 3.supply chain供应链
• 4.supply and demand供求
• 5.in short supply短缺，紧缺

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The charity supplies clean water to remote villages.

• 2.

  We're running low on supplies and need to restock.

• 3.

  Demand has outstripped supply since the launch.

Easily Confused

supply vs provide — both mean 'give what is needed,' but supply often implies a regular flow or stock of goods (supply electricity, office supplies), while provide is broader and can be one-off or abstract (provide help, provide an answer). You supply materials; you provide support.