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vulnerable

[vuhl-ner-uh-buh

Origin

adjective

capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt, as by a weapon: a vulnerable part of the body.

open to moral attack, criticism, temptation, etc.: an argument vulnerable to refutation; He is vulnerable to bribery.

(of a place) open to assault; difficult to defend: a vulnerable bridge.

Bridge. having won one of the games of a rubber.

Origin:
1595–1605; < Late Latin vulnerābilis, equivalent to Latin vulnerā(re) to wound + -bilis -ble; see vulnerary

Related forms

vul·ner·a·bil·i·ty, vul·ner·a·ble·ness, noun

vul·ner·a·bly, adverb

un·vul·ner·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Vulnerable is always a great word to know.

So is quincunx. Does it mean:

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

vulnerable (ˈvʌlnərəb^əl)

—*adj*
1.	capable of being physically or emotionally wounded or hurt
2.	open to temptation, persuasion, censure, etc
3.	liable or exposed to disease, disaster, etc
4.	military liable or exposed to attack
5.	bridge (of a side who have won one game towards rubber) subject to increased bonuses or penalties

[C17: from Late Latin vulnerābilis, from Latin vulnerāre to wound, from vulnus a wound]

vulnera'bility

—n

'vulnerableness

—n

'vulnerably

—*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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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

vulnerable

1605, from L.L. vulnerabilis "wounding," from L. vulnerare "to wound," from vulnus (gen. vulneris) "wound," perhaps related to vellere "pluck, to tear."

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"Children are extraordinarily precious members of society; they are exquisitely alert, sensitive, and conscious of their surroundings; and they are extraordinarily vulnerable to maltreatment or emotional abuse by adults who refuse to give them the profound respect and affection to which they are unconditionally entitled."

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