debility

English

Etymology

From Middle English debylite, from Old French debilité (French débilité), from Latin dēbilitās (“weakness”), from dēbilis (“weak”), from dē- + habilis (“able”).

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈbɪlɪti/
Rhymes: -ɪlɪti

Noun

debility (countable and uncountable, plural debilities)

A state of physical or mental weakness.
- 1818, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein.
  As I was in a state of extreme debility, I resolved to sail directly towards the town, as a place where I could most easily procure nourishment.
  […]
  I was ready to sink from fatigue and hunger, but being surrounded by a crowd, I thought it politic to rouse all my strength, that no physical debility might be construed into apprehension or conscious guilt.
- 1886, Robert Louis Stephenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde:
  I was struck besides with the shocking expression of his face, with his remarkable combination of great muscular activity and great apparent debility of constitution

Related terms

debile
debilitate
debilitation

Translations

state of weakness

Bulgarian: безсилие (bg) (bezsilie), немощ (bg) (nemošt)
Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
French: débilité (fr) f, fatigue (fr) f
Latin: infirmitas f, debilitas f

Persian: عجز‎ (fa) ('ajz), ناتوانی‎ (fa) (nâtavâni)
Portuguese: please add this translation if you can
Russian: сла́бость (ru) f (slábostʹ), бесси́лие (ru) n (bessílije), не́мощь (ru) f (némoščʹ), деграда́ция (ru) f (degradácija)
Spanish: please add this translation if you can