Feeble

How to spell feeble

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce feeble

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does feeble mean?

1. adjectiveLacking physical strength, force, or effectiveness; weak.

Feeble in a sentence

• After the long illness his grip felt feeble and unsteady.

• The committee offered only a feeble excuse for the delay.

Where does feeble come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Feeble traces back to the Latin flebilis, which literally meant 'to be wept over' or 'lamentable', formed from the verb flere, meaning 'to weep'. Over time the sense drifted from something pitiable and tear-worthy toward the broader idea of being weak, frail, or lacking in force. The word reached English in the 1100s through Old French, where flebilis had already worn down to feble (and a related form foible, which English later borrowed separately to mean a small weakness of character). The doubled 'ee' in the modern English spelling reflects the long vowel sound and is the main thing to fix in memory, since the word is pronounced FEE-bul. It is a useful reminder that 'feeble', 'foible', and even 'feeble-minded' all spring from the same Latin idea of something worth weeping over.

How the word is built

• feebl- (root meaning weak, from Old French feble)
• -e (silent ending)