- foible
- \ \ see FEEBLE
Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
foible
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foible — FOIBLE. adj. de tout genre. Debile, Qui manque de force. Il est encore foible de sa maladie. avoir les jambes foibles. avoir la veuë foible. ce cheval est trop foible pour porter une si grande charge. On dit, Dans une âge foible, pour dire, Dans… … Dictionnaire de l'Académie française
foible — (n.) 1640s, weak point of a sword blade (contrasted to forte), from Fr. foible (n.), from obsolete foible (adj.) weak, from O.Fr. foible feeble, dissimilated from L. flebilis (see FEEBLE (Cf. feeble)). Extended sense of weak point of character is … Etymology dictionary
Foible — Foi ble, a. [OF. foible. See {Feeble}.] Weak; feeble. [Obs.] Lord Herbert. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
foible — Foible, Debilis, Imbecillis vel imbecillus, Infirmus, voyez Flebe. Fort foible, Perimbecillus … Thresor de la langue françoyse
Foible — Foi ble, n. 1. A moral weakness; a failing; a weak point; a frailty. [1913 Webster] A disposition radically noble and generous, clouded and overshadowed by superficial foibles. De Quincey. [1913 Webster] 2. The half of a sword blade or foil blade … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
foible — I noun blemish, defect, deficiency, demerit, failing, failure, fault, flaw, frailty, frailty of character, human weakness, imperfection, lack, limitation, moral weakness, need, problem, room for improvement, shortcoming, vice, vitium, want, weak… … Law dictionary
foible — et foiblesse et foiblir Voy. faible, faiblesse, faiblir … Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré
foible — failing, *fault, frailty, vice Analogous words: weakness, infirmity (see corresponding adjectives at WEAK): defect, flaw, *blemish: aberration, *deviation … New Dictionary of Synonyms
foible — [n] personal imperfection characteristic, defect, eccentricity, failing, fault, frailty, idiosyncrasy, infirmity, kink, mannerism, oddity, peculiarity, quirk, shortcoming, singularity, vice, weakness, weak point; concepts 411,644 Ant. strength … New thesaurus
foible — ► NOUN ▪ a minor weakness or eccentricity. ORIGIN French, obsolete form of Old French fieble feeble … English terms dictionary
foible — [foi′bəl] n. [obs. var. of Fr faible: see FEEBLE] 1. a small weakness; slight frailty in character 2. the weakest part of a sword blade, from the middle to the point: cf. FORTE1 (sense 1) SYN. FAULT … English World dictionary
