frail

/fˈɹeɪl/FRAYL

Meaningbreakable

Common meaning: weak and easily hurt

frailto break, shatterLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 776 · scan

Journey through time

Latinfrangō, frēgī, frāctum‘to break, shatter’
Frenchfraile
Middle Englishfreelsource
Englishmeaning shiftsto break, shatter → weak and easily hurtfrail‘weak and easily hurt’ · today

frail also in: fragile fraction fracture fragment

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin frangō ‘to break, shatter’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry frangō, p. 776 · dictionary scan; Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry FRAIL, p. 218 · dictionary scan

Roots

frangō, frēgī, frāctum Latin “to break, shatter”

Related words

fraction fracture fragile fragment

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app