Etymology dictionary. 2014.
frail — [freıl] adj [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: fraile, from Latin fragilis, from frangere to break ] 1.) someone who is frail is weak and thin because they are old or ill ▪ frail elderly people ▪ her frail health frail body/physique… … Dictionary of contemporary English
frail — frail, a. [Compar. {frailer} (fr[=a]l [ e]r); superl. {frailest}.] [OE. frele, freile, OF. fraile, frele, F. fr[^e]le, fr. L. fragilis. See {Fragile}.] 1. Easily broken; fragile; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish; easily destroyed;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
frail — [ freıl ] adjective * 1. ) physically weak and not very healthy: He is frail, but still manages to walk with a cane. 2. ) not strong and therefore likely to be damaged or destroyed: a garden with a frail wooden fence around it attempts to rebuild … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
frail — frail·ly; frail·ness; frail·ty; frail; … English syllables
frail — (fr[=a]l), n. [OE. fraiel, fraile, OF. fraiel, freel, frael, fr. LL. fraellum.] A basket made of rushes, used chiefly for containing figs and raisins. [1913 Webster] 2. The quantity of raisins about thirty two, fifty six, or seventy five pounds,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
frail|ty — «FRAYL tee», noun, plural ties. 1. the condition of being frail; weakness: »a sick person s physical frailty. The works of man inherit…their author s frailty and return to dust (William Cowper). 2. moral weakness; liability to yield to temptation … Useful english dictionary
frail — index imperfect, insecure, insubstantial, nonsubstantial (not sturdy), powerless Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
frail — fragile, *weak, feeble, infirm, decrepit Analogous words: slight, slender, tenuous, *thin, slim: puny, *petty: flimsy, sleazy (see LIMP): *powerless, impotent Antonyms: robust Contrasted words: * … New Dictionary of Synonyms
frail — [adj] breakable, weak brittle, dainty, decrepit, delicate, feeble, fishy, flimsy, fracturable, fragile, frangible, infirm, insubstantial, puny, sad, shatterable, shattery, sickly, slender, slight, slim, tender, tenuous, thin, unsound,… … New thesaurus
frail — ► ADJECTIVE 1) weak and delicate. 2) easily damaged or broken. DERIVATIVES frailly adverb frailness noun. ORIGIN Old French fraile, from Latin fragilis fragile … English terms dictionary
