vulnerable

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin vulnerābilis (“wounding”),^[2][3][4][5] from vulnerāre (“to wound”), from vulnus (“wound”) (genitive vulneris),^[2][3][6] perhaps related to vellere (“to pluck, tear”) and Greek oulḗ, a scar.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Able to be wounded: 1605, in Shakespeare's Macbeth.^[2][7] Word Origins notes that its opposite invulnerable is older, from the late 16th century.^[6]

Semantic evolution

In the sense capable of wounding, after the Late Latin, it was used once, in 1609.^[7][3] Figuratively, open to attack of a non-physical kind, such as criticism or temptation, is from 1678.^[7] Of places, open to attack by armed forces, it is from 1790.^[3][7] In contract bridge, a side that has won a game is vulnerable to higher penalties (1925).^[7] Needing special care because of age, illness or disability, as vulnerable adults, is a modern use.^[8] Earlier English had vulnerate, to wound (about 1500).^[3]

Timeline

• 1605 – able to be wounded, in Macbeth.^[2][7]
• 1678 – open to criticism or temptation.^[7]
• 1790 – open to military attack.^[3][7]
• 1925 – in bridge.^[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Easily hurt physically or emotionally.
2. Open to attack, damage or criticism: vulnerable to infection.
3. In need of special care or protection: vulnerable children.
4. (bridge) Liable to higher penalties after winning a game.

Word family

• vulnerability
• vulnerably
• vulnerableness
• unvulnerable

Related words

• invulnerable
• vulnerary

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins