feble

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *fēbelis, from Latin flēbilis (“tearful, mournful, lamentable”) by dissimilation, from fleō (“to weep”) (akin to fluō (“to flow”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈfeb.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈfe.ble]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Adjective

feble m or f (masculine and feminine plural febles)

1. weak, feeble

   Synonym: dèbil

   Antonym: fort

Derived terms

• feblement
• feblesa
• interacció nuclear feble

Descendants

• → Spanish: feble

Further reading

• “feble”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “feble”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “feble” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “feble” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Franco-Provençal

Adjective

feble (Old Dauphinois)

1. alternative form of fêblo (“weak”)

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “flēbilis”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 3: D–F, page 615

Galician

Etymology

Attested since 1370. Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese febre, borrowed from Old Occitan feble or Old French feble, from Vulgar Latin *fēbelis, from Latin flēbilis (“tearful, mournful, lamentable”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɛble/ [ˈfɛ.β̞lɪ]
• Rhymes: -ɛble

Adjective

feble m or f (plural febles)

1. feeble; weak

   Synonym: débil

   • 1370, R. Lorenzo, editor, Crónica troiana, A Coruña: Fundación Barrié, page 613:

     tu coydas que nós somos molleres mãsas et febres cõmo son as outras, et sabe que nós nõ somos taes

     you think that we are meek and feeble women, as the others, but you must know that we are not such

   • 1934, Vicente Risco, Mitteleuropa:

     Non istá lonxe, Rankestrasse; mais com'o vehículo non vai á présa, podolle coller o gusto no meio da baraúnda que m'axorda e m'impón. Endexamais me sintín tan extranxeiro nen tan badoco, doorosamente badoco dista volta, polo feble que m'achaba d'esprito.

     Rankestrasse is not far away; but, given that the vehicle is not going fast, I can appreciate the hubbub that deafens and impress me. Never in my life have I felt so estranger and rustic, painfully rustic this time because of how feeble my spirit felt.

2. soft

   Synonyms: mol, suave

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “febre”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “febre”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “feble”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “feble”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Ido

Etymology

febla (“weak”) +‎ -e

Adverb

feble

1. weakly, dimly, faintly, feebly, lightly, mildly