enfeeble

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled infeeble

US /ɛnˈfibəl/ UK /ɪnˈfiːbəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to make weak or feeble

Years of illness had enfeebled the once-vigorous statesman.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make weak or feeble weaken debilitate sap enervate incapacitate cripple

Opposites

strengthen fortify invigorate empower

Word family

Forms infeebles

Derived forms enfeeblementenfeebled

Related forms feeble

Etymology

From Old French enfeblir ('to make weak'), from en- ('to make') + feble ('feeble, weak'), from Latin flebilis ('lamentable'), from flere ('to weep').

enfeblir Old French flebilis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# enfeeble

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ɛnˈfibəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈfiːbəl/

## Meanings
1. to make weak or feeble

## Examples
- Years of illness had enfeebled the once-vigorous statesman.

## Synonyms
- weaken
- debilitate
- sap
- enervate
- incapacitate
- cripple

## Antonyms
- strengthen
- fortify
- invigorate
- empower

## Derived Forms
- enfeeblement
- enfeebled

## Related Forms
- feeble

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: enfeblir
- Root: flebilis

## Etymology
From Old French enfeblir ('to make weak'), from en- ('to make') + feble ('feeble, weak'), from Latin flebilis ('lamentable'), from flere ('to weep').

## AI Etymology
Enfeeble comes from Old French enfeblir ('to make weak'), from en- ('to make') + feble ('feeble, weak'), from Latin flebilis ('lamentable'), from flere ('to weep'). The etymological trail includes Old French enfeblir and Latin flebilis. As a verb, enfeeble means to make weak or feeble. The same family is visible in derived forms such as enfeeblement and enfeebled and related forms such as feeble. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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