feeble
Use Feeble in a sentence
bəl adjective, fee·bler, fee·blest.
1.
physically weak, as from age or sickness; frail.
2.
weak intellectually or morally: a feeble mind.
3.
lacking in volume, loudness, brightness, distinctness, etc.: a feeble voice; feeble light.
4.
lacking in force, strength, or effectiveness: feeble resistance; feeble arguments.
Origin:
1125–75; Middle English feble < Old French, variant of fleible (by dissimilation) < Latin flēbilis lamentable, equivalent to flē(re) to weep + -bilis -ble
1125–75; Middle English feble < Old French, variant of fleible (by dissimilation) < Latin flēbilis lamentable, equivalent to flē(re) to weep + -bilis -ble
Related forms
fee·ble·ness, noun
fee·blish, adjective
fee·bly, adverb
non·fee·ble, adjective
non·fee·ble·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To feeble
00:10
Feeble
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
feeble (ˈfiːbəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | lacking in physical or mental strength; frail; weak |
| 2. | inadequate; unconvincing: feeble excuses |
| 3. | easily influenced or indecisive |
| [C12: from Old French feble, fleible, from Latin flēbilis to be lamented, from flēre to weep] | |
| 'feebleness | |
| —n | |
| 'feebly | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
feeble
late 12c., from O.Fr. feible, from L. flebilis "lamentable," lit. "that is to be wept over," from flere "weep." The first -l- was dropped in O.Fr. by dissimilation.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The political and economic realms were feeble, so social power derived largely from the cultural realm.
But it has gravity, however feeble, and it's enough to affect the rings.
The stereo speakers along the bottom edge are feeble.
After fees, hedge-fund returns this year have been feeble.
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