Etymologically
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vulnerable

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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
  • 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