Déplient

Déplient is the third-person plural present indicative form of the French verb déplier. Déplier means to unfold or spread out something that is folded or rolled, such as a map, a sheet, a banner, or a tent. It can also be used in a figurative sense to describe revealing or laying out something that has been folded away, such as a plan or an argument, though other verbs may be used depending on nuance.

The verb déplier is transitive and conjugates following the regular patterns of -er verbs. Its present tense forms include: je déplie, tu déplies, il déplie, nous déplions, vous dépliez, ils déplient. The past participle is déplié, and the present participle or gerund is dépliant. Related nouns include dépliant, a folded booklet or brochure, and dépliement, the act of unfolding.

Etymology traces déplier to the prefix dé- (undo) combined with plier (to fold), from Latin roots associated with folding. Déplier is contrasted with délier or dérouler in contexts where the focus is on unfolding or unrolling rather than simply flattening.

Usage notes: déplier describes physical unfolding of objects and, in some cases, the unfolding of plans or ideas in a concrete sense. In everyday language, one might say ils déplient la carte sur la table, or le dépliant est posé près de l’entrée. While proche in meaning, certains contextes employ dérouler or étendre depending on whether the emphasis is on unrolling or spreading out more broadly.