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simple

Pronunciation: /ˈsɪmp(ə)l/
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Definition of simple

adjective (simpler, simplest)

  • 1easily understood or done; presenting no difficulty:a simple solution camcorders are now so simple to operate
  • [attributive] used to emphasize the fundamental and straightforward nature of something:the simple truth
  • 2plain, basic, or uncomplicated in form, nature, or design; without much decoration or ornamentation:a simple white blouse the house is furnished in a simple country style
  • humble and unpretentious:a quiet unassuming man with simple tastes
  • 3composed of a single element; not compound.
  • Mathematics denoting a group that has no proper normal subgroup.
  • Botany (of a leaf or stem) not divided or branched.
  • (of a lens, microscope, etc.) consisting of a single lens or component.
  • (in English grammar) denoting a tense formed without an auxiliary, for example sang as opposed to was singing.
  • (of interest) payable on the sum loaned only. Compare with compound1.
  • 4of very low intelligence.

noun

chiefly historical
  • a medicinal herb, or a medicine made from one:the gatherers of simples

Derivatives

simpleness

noun

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French, from Latin simplus. The noun sense (mid 16th century) originally referred to a medicine made from one constituent, especially from one plant

simple in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of simple in the US English dictionary
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