Wordwyrt

infirm

/ɪnˈfɜːm/in-FURM
/ɪnˈfɝm/in-FURM

Meaningunsteady

Common meaning: weak through age or illness

‘in, into’ + ‘firm, steady’ → infirm

Journey through time

  1. Latinfirmus‘firm, steady’
  2. Englishinfirm‘weak through age or illness’ · today

in- also in: incestinciteinduceinfamyinfant

firm also in: firmfirmamentaffirmconfirm

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 firmus ‘firm, steady’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry firmus, p. 753 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • firmus Latin “firm, steady”

Related words

affirmconfirmfarmfirmfirmament

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