feeble
adjective
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L5085 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈfiːbəl/
adj
Etymology: Etymology tree Anglo-Norman feblebor. Middle English feble English feeble From Middle English feble, from Anglo-Norman feble (“weak, feeble”) (compare French faible), from Latin flēbilis (“tearful, mournful, lamentable”) by dissimilation, from fleō (“to weep, cry”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁-. Doublet of foible.
- Deficient in physical strength.
“Though she appeared old and feeble, she could still throw a ball.”
“Pent up in Utica he vainly forms A poor Epitome of Roman Greatneſs, And, cover’d with Numidian Guards, directs A feeble Army, and an empty Senate, Remnants of mighty Battels fought in vain.”
- Lacking force, vigor, or effectiveness in action or expression; faint.
“That was a feeble excuse for an example.”
verb
Etymology: Etymology tree Anglo-Norman feblebor. Middle English feble English feeble From Middle English feble, from Anglo-Norman feble (“weak, feeble”) (compare French faible), from Latin flēbilis (“tearful, mournful, lamentable”) by dissimilation, from fleō (“to weep, cry”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁-. Doublet of foible.
- To make feeble; to enfeeble.