foible
This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 14 October 2026 at 23:38. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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
- A minor weakness or failing of character; a quirk.
- (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
- ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
- ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
- ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press