debility
/dɪˈbɪlɪti/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.81 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "[…] and is the onlie laſt remedie for all debilities which haue long vexed the body through a hote diſtemper of the Lever, ſuch as a hote Gutte; it allayeth all Inflamations inward & outward."
- "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."
- "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"
- "At the mention of money Mrs Dibble was overcome with great debility, and wheezed, "I don't feel up to talking about money, matters just now, dearie. I think I better have a bit of a doze.""
- "[…] for how could a class that was kept in a state of ignorance and debility, humiliated, illiterate, and condemned to exhausting labour, find the strength to bring about a universal revolution and restore the lost humanity of mankind?"
Etymology
From Middle English debylite, from Old French debilité (French débilité), from Latin dēbilitās (“weakness”), from dēbilis (“weak”), from dē- + habilis (“able”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: debylite, debilité, dēbilitās
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /dɪˈbɪlɪti/