feeble
pronunciation
How to pronounce feeble in British English:
UK [ˈfiːbl]
How to pronounce feeble in American English:
US [ˈfiːbl]
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- Adjective:
- pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
- lacking strength or vigor
- lacking physical strength or vitality
- lacking strength
Word Origin
- feeble
- feeble: [12] Semantically, feeble was originally a close relative of deplorable and lamentable, but over the centuries it has diverged markedly from them. Its ultimate source was Latin flēbilis, a derivative of the verb flēre ‘weep’. In classical times this meant literally ‘worthy of being cried over, lamentable’, but later it came to signify ‘weak’. It passed in this sense into Old French as fleible, which subsequently became feible or feble (source of English feeble), and later still foible (whence English foible [17]) and faible (the modern French form).=> foible
- feeble (adj.)
- late 12c., "lacking strength or vigor" (physical, moral, or intellectual), from Old French feble "weak, feeble" (12c., Modern French faible), dissimilated from Latin flebilis "lamentable," literally "that is to be wept over," from flere "weep, cry, shed tears, lament," from PIE *bhle- "to howl" (see bleat (v.)). The first -l- was lost in Old French. The noun meaning "feeble person" is recorded from mid-14c.
Example
- 1. Are europeans really as feeble as he asserts ?
- 2. Why is the country as a whole so feeble ?
- 3. And the seed of the fire gets feeble and cold .
- 4. In fact , the eu 's response to mr lukashenka 's crackdown has been feeble .
- 5. A feeble response ensures that non-communicable diseases kill people earlier in poor countries than in rich ones .