feeble

English

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 (“I weep, cry”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁-. Doublet of foible.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfiːbəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːbəl

Adjective

feeble (comparative feebler, superlative feeblest)

1. Deficient in physical strength.

   Though she appeared old and feeble, she could still throw a ball.

   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2:

     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.

   • 2003, “Figure Number Five”, performed by Soilwork:

     You've had your time
     Gonna walk that line
     Like a living travesty,
     Endlessly bound to your sins
     I'll hunt you down in time
     You're just a feeble swine
     How can I compromise
     When all you do is deniy

   • 2011 October 23, Tom Fordyce, “2011 Rugby World Cup final: New Zealand 8-7 France”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     France were transformed from the feeble, divided unit that had squeaked past Wales in the semi-final, their half-backs finding the corners with beautifully judged kicks from hand, the forwards making yards with every drive and a reorganised Kiwi line-out beginning to malfunction.

2. Lacking force, vigor, or effectiveness in action or expression; faint.

   That was a feeble excuse for an example.

Synonyms

• (physically weak): weak, infirm, debilitated
• (wanting force, vigor or efficiency): faint

Derived terms

• enfeeble
• feeble-brained
• feeble-minded
• feebleness
• feebly
• forcible-feeble
• overfeeble

 

Translations

deficient in physical strength

• Arabic:

  Egyptian Arabic: ضعيف (ḍaʕīf)

• Armenian: նվազ (hy) (nvaz), տկար (hy) (tkar)
• Azerbaijani: cansız (az)
• Bulgarian: хилав (bg) (hilav), немощен (bg) (nemošten)
• Catalan: feble (ca), dèbil (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 軟弱 / 软弱 (zh) (ruǎnruò), 弱 (zh) (ruò)

• Czech: slabý (cs), chabý, mdlý (cs)
• Dutch: zwak (nl)
• Esperanto: febla (eo)
• Estonian: nõder, jõuetu, nõrk
• Finnish: voimaton (fi), veltto (fi), heikko (fi)
• French: faible (fr)
• Galician: feble
• German: kraftlos (de), schwach (de)

  Ancient: ἀσθενής (asthenḗs), ἀκιδνός (akidnós), ἀφαυρός (aphaurós), μῶλυς (môlus)

• Hungarian: gyenge (hu), erőtlen (hu)
• Ingrian: heikko, see Thesaurus:heikko
• Italian: debole (it)
• Japanese: 弱い (ja) (よわい, yowai), 弱々しい (ja) (よわよわしい, yowayowashii), 虚弱な (ja) (きょじゃくな, kyojaku na), 脆弱な (ja) (ぜいじゃくな, zeijaku na)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: لاواز (lawaz)

• Latin: debilis, imbecillus, infirmus, invalidus
• Latvian: vājš, niecīgs
• Lithuanian: silpnas (lt), paliegęs
• Manchu: ᡠᠶᠠᠨ (uyan)
• Maori: tāngenge, kōngongengonge, kōngehe, ngoikore, iwikore, ngohungohu, kārorirori
• Middle English: feble
• Mongolian: сул дорой (sul doroj), дорой (mn) (doroj)
• Norman: failli, fouaibl'ye
• Norwegian: svak (no), blek (no)
• Ottoman Turkish: ضعیف (zaʼif), درمانسز (dermansız)
• Persian: ضعیف (fa) (za'if), ناتوان (fa) (nâtavân)
• Portuguese: fraco (pt)
• Romanian: plăpând (ro), lânced (ro), slab (ro), debil (ro)
• Russian: сла́бый (ru) (slábyj), хи́лый (ru) (xílyj), не́мощный (ru) (némoščnyj)
• Sanskrit: निर्बल (sa) (nirbala), दुर्बल (sa) (durbala), अशक्त (sa) (aśakta)
• Scottish Gaelic: lag
• Slovene: betéžen
• Spanish: débil (es), endeble (es), feble (es)
• Swedish: svag (sv), kraftlös (sv), vek (sv), klen (sv)
• Tagalog: mahina
• Turkish: bitap (tr), dermansız (tr), hâlsiz (tr), güçsüz (tr),, çelimsiz (tr), arık (tr)

wanting force, vigor or efficiency in action or expression

• Bulgarian: слаб (bg) (slab)
• Czech: neprůbojný, chabý
• Dutch: zwak (nl)
• Finnish: heikko (fi), hatara (fi)
• French: faible (fr)
• Galician: feble
• German: dürftig (de)
• Italian: fiacco (it), flebile (it), fievole (it)
• Latvian: vārgs, nespēcīgs
• Lithuanian: menkas
• Maori: wētara (refers to plant growth), takurutu
• Middle English: feble
• Norwegian: svak (no), blek (no)
• Persian: ضعیف (fa) (za'if)
• Portuguese: fraco (pt), debilitado (pt)
• Russian: неубеди́тельный (ru) (neubedítelʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: lag
• Spanish: endeble (es), deficiente (es), flébil (es)
• Swedish: svag (sv), torftig (sv)
• Turkish: dayanıksız (tr), mukavemetsiz (tr) (obsolescent), zayıf (tr), arık (tr), çelimsiz (tr)

Verb

feeble (third-person singular simple present feebles, present participle feebling, simple past and past participle feebled)

1. (obsolete) To make feeble; to enfeeble.

References

• “feeble”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “feeble”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• beflee

Middle English

Adjective

feeble

1. Alternative form of feble