foible

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈfɔɪbəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French foible (“weak point”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} a noun use of the obsolete adjective foible “weak”,^[2][3][5] from Old French feble (“weak”).^[2][3][4][5] The French form is now faible.^[3][4][5][6] It is related to feeble.^[2][3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In fencing, the weaker part of a sword blade, between the middle and the point (before 1648).^[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The fencing term was contrasted with the forte, the strong part of the blade near the hilt.^[4][6] By 1673 it had been extended to a weak point or failing of character,^[7][3][4] which is now the main sense, usually of a minor flaw.^[2][5][6]

Timeline

• before 1648 – the weak part of a sword blade.^[7][3][5]
• 1673 – a failing of character.^[7][3][4]
• 1716 – adjective, weak, now obsolete.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A minor weakness or failing of character; a quirk.
2. (fencing) The weaker part of a sword blade, from the middle to the point.

Related words

• feeble
• forte
• quirk

Usage notes

Random House lists frailty, quirk, crotchet and eccentricity as synonyms, and strength as an antonym.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press