Fragile
/ˈfrædʒ.aɪl/noun
Easily broken, damaged, or disrupted.
Did you know?Fragile comes through French from Latin *fragilis*, from *frangere* meaning “to break,” the same ancient root behind several words for fracture and fracture-like damage.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰreg-
“to break”
Latin
Latin
frangere
“to break, shatter”
Latin
Latin
fragilis
“easily broken, brittle”
Old French
Old French
fragile
“fragile, brittle”
Late Middle English
English
fragil
“easily broken, frail”
Modern English
English
fragile
“easily broken or damaged”