[f. SUPPLE v. + -ING2.] That renders the skin or the joints of the body supple; also, softening, emollient.
1562. Turner, Herbal, II. 101. The rosin … of the popler is menged oft tymes with softenyng and souplyng emplasters.
1562. Burnynge of Paules Ch. in Lond. Nothinge … does more ease the paines of the sicke bodye than these supplinge oiles.
1638. Rawley, trans. Bacon’s Life & Death (1650), 64. Onely three Set Diets: The Opiate Diet, the Diet Malacissant, or Suppling; and the Diet Emaciant, & Renewing.
1639. T. de Grey, Compl. Horsem., 272. Mollifie the heeles of the horse with suppling things.
1648. Herrick, Hesper., To the King to cure Evill. All those suppling healing herbs and flowers.
1650. Venner, Via Recta, Baths of Bathe, 356. The Crosse-bath is an excellent temperate soupling bath.
1710. T. Fuller, Pharm. Extemp., 422. By means of suppleing Oils, those Fibrillae are … lubricated, and relaxed.
1871. Daily News, 11 April, 6. It [good marching] tells of weary but necessary hours over the goose step, of laborious and oft-repeated ‘suppling’ motions.
b. in fig. context or allusively.
1563. Form Medit., in Liturg. Serv. Q. Eliz. (Parker Soc.), 505. Mollify … O Lord, our flinty hearts with the suppling moisture of thy Holy Spirit.
1595. Southwell, St. Peter’s Compl., lxxx. Pour suppling showers upon my parched ground.
1632. G. Herbert, Priest to Temple, xviii. Mollifying and suppling words.
1659. W. Chamberlayne, Pharonnida, II. 154. If ere thy sober Reason did submit To suppling, Mirth.
1713. C’tess Winchelsea, Misc. Poems, 382. Employ my Hand, yet warm, to close the Wound, And with my suppling Tears disperse the anguish.
1727. P. Walker, Life R. Cameron, in Biogr. Presbyt. (1827), I. 194. In the 1719, there was a softning, soupling, sweetning Oil, composed and made up by the cunning Art of carnal Wit, and State=policy.
