English
feblesse
Feblesse comes from Old French feblesce ‘weakness’, from feble ‘weak’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- ‘to bleat, cry’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleh₁-‘to bleat, cry’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*flēō‘to weep, cry’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfleō‘to weep’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEflēbilis‘tearful, mournful, lamentable’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*fēbelisreconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400feble‘weak’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400feblesce‘weakness’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500feblesse‘the state of being physically weak or feeble’
- Englishtodaysame form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleh₁-‘to bleat, cry’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*flēō‘to weep, cry’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfleō‘to weep’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEflēbilis‘tearful, mournful, lamentable’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*fēbelisreconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400feble‘weak’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400feblesce‘weakness’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500feblesse‘the state of being physically weak or feeble’
- Englishtodaysame form
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- ‘to bleat, cry’
blow, inflation, blast, flavor, flux, fluent, bladder, bliss, confluence, fluency, inflate, fluvial, flatulence, conflate, blithely, soufflé, blare, blather, blasé, bleat, 44 more
through Latin flēbilis ‘tearful, mournful, lamentable’
Today it means
noun feebleness; weakness; frailty
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- / feblesse