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Definition:
b) quiet, easy to influence (person/animal)
German translation:
docile = ruhig/zahm und gehorsam
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GOOGLE INDEX
docile: approximately 2,200,000 Google hits
Sample text:
''I was a very DOCILE child. My mind would often drift away to the fantasy of scenes in movies but I wouldn't dare to talk about it."
- film director Ang Lee
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We who have the final word can speak softly or angrily. We can seek to challenge and annoy, as we need not stay DOCILE and quiet.
- William O. Douglas, former United States Supreme Court justice
Did you know?
docile
adjective
- quiet and easy to influence, persuade or control
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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Docile stems from the Italian or French docile, which derived from the Latin "docilis," meaning easily taught and from "docere, to teach. The sense of "obedient, submissive" was first recorded in 1774.
Although docile has it roots in the sense of a person or animal that is teachable, the most common usage today refers to being quiet or tame. Depending on the context, docile can be a negative or positive characteristic. An audience can be docile for instance, something that an entertainer would not desire. A sports team might be docile, meaning it does not exhibit a lot of energy or excitement when playing.
When it comes to animals though, we like them tame. Alpacas, a South American relative of camels and llamas, are normally highly docile creatures for instance. A Wiltshire farmer had a different experience. While trying to keep two male alpacas from fighting, one of them took the farmer's arm in his mouth and refused to let go. The farmer called for help and was finally released from the jaws of the alpaca, but it took three men to do it!
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SYNONYMS
accommodating, acquiescent, adaptable, agreeable, amenable, complacent, cool, ductile, easily influenced, easy, easygoing, gentle, governable, humble, laid-back, manageable, meek, mellow, mild, obedient, obliging, orderly, pliable, pliant, quiet, resigned, soft, tame, teachable, tractable, weak-kneed, well-behaved, willing, yielding
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"Bob is a very docile chap, in all these years I never once saw him lose his temper."
Thanks to Sybilla for suggesting today's word!
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And now...
Today's Learning Tip (7):
Recall some Synonyms
When you learn the new word, recall other English words with similar meanings - having alternative ways of saying something gives you more precision and flexibility in speaking.
more learning tips
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