feeble

英 ['fi?b(?)l] 美['fibl]

反義詞

CET6TEM4CET4IELTSGRE考研TOEFL低頻詞常用詞匯

比較級:?feebler;最高級:?feeblest;副詞:?feebly;名詞:?feebleness;

1. 非常薄的。
2. =vulnerable(依然很薄)。

feeble 虛弱的

來自拉丁語flebilis的拼寫異化詞，呻吟，哭叫，詞源同bleat, blare.

feeble: feeble: [12] Semantically, feeble was originally a close relative of deplorable and lamentable, but over the centuries it has diverged markedly from them. Its ultimate source was Latin flēbilis, a derivative of the verb flēre ‘weep’. In classical times this meant literally ‘worthy of being cried over, lamentable’, but later it came to signify ‘weak’. It passed in this sense into Old French as fleible, which subsequently became feible or feble (source of English feeble), and later still foible (whence English foible [17]) and faible (the modern French form).
=> foible
feeble (adj.): late 12c., "lacking strength or vigor" (physical, moral, or intellectual), from Old French feble "weak, feeble" (12c., Modern French faible), dissimilated from Latin flebilis "lamentable," literally "that is to be wept over," from flere "weep, cry, shed tears, lament," from PIE *bhle- "to howl" (see bleat (v.)). The first -l- was lost in Old French. The noun meaning "feeble person" is recorded from mid-14c.

1. He gave a feeble shrug and tried to squirm free.: 他無力地聳聳肩，扭動(dòng)身體想要掙脫。

2. The Observer found the play "a feeble rehash of familiar Miller themes": 《觀察家報(bào)》認(rèn)為這部劇“是大家熟悉的米勒式主題的拙劣翻版”。

5. She made a feeble effort to get to school on time.: 她努力想按時(shí)趕到學(xué)校,但未成功.