Debile
/ˈdɛb.ɪl/noun
Weak or feeble, especially in a physical or mental sense.
Did you know?Debile comes from Latin debilis, and the same root behind it also gave English words tied to being bound, held back, or lacking strength—language once used to name both weakness and restraint.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*deh₃-
“to lack, be wanting”
Latin
Latin
debilis
“weak, feeble, helpless”
Old French
Old French
debil
“weak, feeble”
Middle English
English
debil
“weak, feeble; lacking strength”
Modern English
English
debile
“weak or feeble, especially in a physical or mental sense”