Wiktionary

simple

English

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Etymology

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Inherited from Middle English symple, simple, from Old French and French simple, from Latin simplex (“simple”, literally “onefold”) (as opposed to duplex (“double”, literally “twofold”)), from semel (“the same”) + plicō (“I fold”). See same and fold. Compare single, singular, simultaneous, etc.

Partially displaced native English onefold.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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simple (comparative simpler or more simple, superlative simplest or most simple)

  1. Uncomplicated; lacking complexity; taken by itself, with nothing added.
    Synonyms: onefold; see also Thesaurus:bare-bones
    Antonym: subtle
    • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
      We are engaged in a great work, a treatise on our river fortifications, perhaps? But since when did army officers afford the luxury of amanuenses in this simple republic?
    • 1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson, Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page 253:
      Primitive people, colossally ignorant of the cause of disease and of curative processes, attributed to supernatural agencies any causes and effects for which their simple minds could give no natural explanations.
    • 2006, M. Eto et al., “Solitons in Supersymmetric Gauge Theories”, in Particles, Strings and Cosmology‎[1], →ISBN, page 266:
      The simplest soliton is the domain wall with co-dimension one, and the next simplest is the vortex with co-dimension two, whereas the co-dimension three (four) soliton is called monopole (instanton).
  2. Easy; not difficult.
    Synonyms: basic, trivial; see also Thesaurus:easy
    Antonyms: challenging, hard; see also Thesaurus:difficult
    • 2001, Sydney I. Landau, Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 167:
      There is no simple way to define precisely a complex arrangement of parts, however homely the object may appear to be.
    • 2021, Luis Atencio, The Joy of JavaScript, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 104:
      Point-free coding is a byproduct of adopting declarative programming. You can use point-free coding without FP. But because point-free is all about improving the readability of code at a glance and making it simpler to parse, having the guarantees imposed by FP furthers this cause.
  3. Without ornamentation; plain.
    Synonyms: austere, plain; see also Thesaurus:unadorned
    Antonyms: flashy, tinselly; see also Thesaurus:gaudy
  4. Free from duplicity; guileless, innocent, straightforward.
    Synonyms: sincere, unaffected; see also Thesaurus:honest, Thesaurus:naive
    Antonyms: crafty, guileful; see also Thesaurus:wily
  5. Undistinguished in social condition; of no special rank.
    Synonyms: common, low-born, ordinary, vulgar
    Antonyms: eminent, gentle, notable, highborn, well-born
  6. (archaic) Trivial; insignificant.
    Synonyms: inconsequential; see also Thesaurus:insignificant
    Antonyms: significant; see also Thesaurus:important
    • 1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum LV”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book X (in Middle English), [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC:
      ‘That was a symple cause,’ seyde Sir Trystram, ‘for to sle a good knyght for seyynge well by his maystir.’
      ‘That was a simple cause,’ said Sir Tristram, ‘for to slay a good knight for to say well by his master.’
  7. (now colloquial, euphemistic) Feeble-minded; foolish.
    Synonyms: dim-witted, unwise; see also Thesaurus:foolish, Thesaurus:stupid
    Antonyms: astute, quick-witted; see also Thesaurus:wise
  8. (heading, technical) Structurally uncomplicated.
    Synonyms: basic, plain, uncomplex, uncomplicated
    Antonyms: complex, compound, complicated
    1. (chemistry, pharmacology) Consisting of one single substance; uncompounded.
    2. (algebra, loosely, of an algebraic structure) Being non-trivial, and admitting no proper non-trivial quotients.
      1. (group theory, of a group) Being non-trivial, and having no proper non-trivial normal subgroups (equivalently, no proper non-trivial quotient groups).
      2. (module theory, of a module) Being non-trivial, and having no proper non-trivial submodules (equivalently, no proper non-trivial quotient modules).
      3. (ring theory, of a ring) Being non-zero, and having no proper non-zero two-sided ideals (equivalently, no proper non-trivial quotient rings). For commutative rings, this definition coincides with that of a field.
      4. (universal algebra, of an algebraic structure) Containing more than one element, and such that the only congruences on the structure are the diagonal relation (the equivalence relation  ) and the universal relation (the equivalence relation such that   for all  ). Equivalently, containing more than one element and having no proper non-trivial quotient algebras.
      5. (category theory, of an object in a category with a terminal object) Being non-isomorphic to the terminal object, and such that its only quotient objects (up to isomorphism) are the terminal object and itself.
    3. (algebra, of a Lie algebra) Being non-abelian and having no proper non-zero ideals. (Note that this is non-equivalent to the usual algebra sense; in particular, the abelian Lie algebra of dimension 1 over any given field is non-trivial and has no proper non-zero ideals, but is by convention not considered simple.)
    4. (mathematics, real analysis, measure theory, of a real-valued function) Equal to a finite linear combination of indicator functions on measurable sets.
    5. (botany) Not compound, but possibly lobed.
    6. Using steam only once in its cylinders, in contrast to a compound engine, where steam is used more than once in high-pressure and low-pressure cylinders. (of a steam engine)
      • 1959, David P. Morgan, editor, Steam's Finest Hour, Kalmbach Publishing Co., page 6:
        Chesapeake & Ohio turned to simple articulateds, for instance, simply because its Alleghany tunnels would not accommodate the low-pressure forward cylinders of larger compounds.
    7. (zoology) Consisting of a single individual or zooid; not compound.
      a simple ascidian
    8. (mineralogy) Homogenous.
  9. (obsolete) Mere; not other than; being only.
    Synonyms: alone, mere, only, very
    • c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
      A medicine […] whose simple touch / Is powerful to araise King Pepin.
    • 1859, Ned Buntline, chapter XCIV, in Seawaif; Or, The Terror of the Coast, New York: Frederic A. Brady, page 117:
      "Yes; as well versed in the art of intrigue, I should think, as if she had been brought up in attendance in a court, instead of being a simple butler's daughter, in a gloomy old pile like this!"

Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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simple (plural simples)

  1. (pharmacology) A herbal preparation made from one plant, as opposed to something made from more than one plant.
  2. (obsolete, by extension) A physician.
  3. (logic) A simple or atomic proposition.
    • 2021 September 14, Michael David Stevens, 10:41 from the start, in Do Chairs Exist?‎[2]:
      Peter van Inwagen, for example, believes that there are no ordinary objects, no chairs or shirts or shoes. Right here there are just some simples — atoms or whatever — arranged shoe-wise.
  4. (obsolete) Something not mixed or compounded.
  5. (weaving) A drawloom.
  6. (weaving) Part of the apparatus for raising the heddles of a drawloom.
  7. (Roman Catholicism) A feast which is not a double or a semidouble.

Translations

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Verb

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simple (third-person singular simple present simples, present participle simpling, simple past and past participle simpled)

  1. (transitive, intransitive, archaic) To gather simples, i.e. medicinal herbs.

Derived terms

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Anagrams

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Asturian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin simplex.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈsimple/, [ˈsĩm.ple]
  • Hyphenation: sim‧ple

Adjective

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simple (epicene, plural simples)

  1. simple (uncomplicated)
    Synonym: cenciellu

Bikol Central

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Spanish simple.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈsimple/ [ˈsim.pl̪e]
  • Hyphenation: sim‧ple

Adjective

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símple (intensified simplehon, Basahan spelling ᜐᜒᜋ᜔ᜉ᜔ᜎᜒ)

  1. simple, plain
  2. unadorned
  3. easy
    Synonyms: madali, pasil

Derived terms

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Catalan

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin simplex.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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simple m or f (masculine and feminine plural simples)

  1. simple (uncomplicated)
    Synonym: senzill
  2. single (not divided into parts)

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Chavacano

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Etymology

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Inherited from Spanish simple (“simple”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈsimple/, [ˈsĩm.ple]
  • Hyphenation: sim‧ple

Adjective

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simple

  1. simple

Esperanto

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Etymology

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From simpla +‎ -e.

Pronunciation

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Adverb

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simple

  1. simply

French

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Etymology

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Inherited from Old French, borrowed from Latin simplex.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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French numbers (edit)
10
1 2  →  10  → 
    Cardinal: un
    Ordinal: premier
    Ordinal abbreviation: 1er
    Multiplier: simple
    Fractional: entier
French Wikipedia article on 1

simple (plural simples)

  1. single
    comptabilité en partie simple ― single-entry bookkeeping
  2. simple, straightforward, easy
    Antonyms: complexe, compliqué
    Near-synonym: facile
    simple comme bonjour ― easy as pie
  3. simple, plain, unsophisticated
    un homme simple ― a simple man
  4. (grammar) synthetic; non analytic
    Coordinate terms: composé, antérieur
    futur simple ― simple future
    passé simple ― past historic tense (literally, “simple past”)
  5. (grammar)
    Coordinate term: complexe
    phrase simple ― simple sentence
  6. (chemistry) simple, uncompounded
    Coordinate term: composé
    corps simple ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  7. one-way
    un aller simple ― a one-way ticket
    un billet simple ― a one-way ticket
  8. mere
    un simple soldat ― a mere soldier

Derived terms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Romanian: simplu

Noun

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simple m (plural simples)

  1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
    passer du simple au double ― to double
    passer du simple au triple ― to triple
  2. (baseball) single

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Galician

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Etymology

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Learned borrowing from Latin simplex. Displaced Old Galician-Portuguese simplez.

Adjective

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simple m or f (plural simples)

  1. simple

German

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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simple

  1. inflection of simpel:
    1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
    2. strong nominative/accusative plural
    3. weak nominative all-gender singular
    4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Latin

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Adjective

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simple

  1. vocative masculine singular of simplus

Middle English

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Adjective

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simple

  1. Alternative form of symple

Noun

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simple

  1. Alternative form of symple

Norwegian Bokmål

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Adjective

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simple

  1. definite singular of simpel
  2. plural of simpel

Norwegian Nynorsk

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Adjective

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simple

  1. definite singular of simpel
  2. plural of simpel

Old French

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin simplex.

Adjective

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simple m (oblique and nominative feminine singular simple)

  1. innocent
  2. mere; simple
  3. honest; without pretense
  4. peasant, pauper (attributive)

Descendants

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Romanian

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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simple

  1. feminine/neuter plural nominative/accusative of simplu

Spanish

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Spanish numbers (edit)
10
1 2  →  10  → 
    Cardinal: uno
    Apocopated cardinal: un
    Ordinal: primero
    Apocopated ordinal: primer
    Ordinal abbreviation: 1.º
    Multiplier: simple
    Distributive: sendos
Spanish Wikipedia article on 1

Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin simplex.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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simple m or f (masculine and feminine plural simples)

  1. simple (uncomplicated)
    Synonym: sencillo
    Antonym: complejo
  2. (before the noun) mere, ordinary
    Synonym: mero
    Soy un simple pescador. ― I'm just a fisherman.
  3. simple, single (not divided into parts)
    Antonym: compuesto
  4. simple-minded, stupid
  5. insipid, flavorless
    Synonym: soso
  6. (grammar) simple

Usage notes

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  • A way to think of the difference between simple and sencillo, which both mean "simple" in English, is that the antonym of simple is complejo (“complex”), whereas the antonym of sencillo is complicado (“complicated”).

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Noun

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simple m or f by sense (plural simples)

  1. simpleton, fool
    Synonym: bobo

Noun

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simple m (plural simples)

  1. (pharmacology) simple

See also

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Further reading

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Swedish

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Adjective

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simple

  1. definite natural masculine singular of simpel

Anagrams

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Tagalog

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Spanish simple, from Latin simplex.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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simple (Baybayin spelling ᜐᜒᜋ᜔ᜉ᜔ᜎᜒ)

  1. simple; easy to do
    Synonyms: payak, yano, liso
    • 1994, Al O. Santiago, Sining ng pagsasaling-wika: sa Filipino mula sa Ingles‎[3], →ISBN:
      Simpleng-simple rin ang aklat na ito kung ihahambing sa aklat ni Mildred Larson.
      This book is also very simple compared to the book of Mildred Larson.
    • 2002, Yaman Ng Pagkatao i Tm' 2002 Ed.‎[4], Rex Bookstore, Inc., →ISBN, page 173:
      Ang boluntaryong pagpili ng simpleng pamumuhay ay isang desisyong maaari nating maisakatuparan.
      The voluntary choice of a simple life is a decision that we can carry out.
  2. common; ordinary
    Synonyms: karaniwan, pangkaraniwan
  3. easy to understand
  4. simple; plain
    Synonym: payak
  5. (grammar) simple
    Synonym: payak

Derived terms

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Further reading

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  • “simple”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
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