foible

English

WOTD – 11 August 2007    

Etymology

(1640-50) From Early Modern French foible (“feeble”) (contemporary French faible).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈfɔɪbəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɪbəl

Adjective

foible (comparative more foible, superlative most foible)

1. (obsolete) Weak; feeble.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Lord Herbert to this entry?)

Noun

foible (plural foibles)

1. A quirk, idiosyncrasy, or mannerism; unusual habit or way (usage is typically plural), that is slightly strange or silly.

   Try to look past his foibles and see the friendly fellow underneath.

   • 1915, Of Human Bondage, by W.S.Maugham, chapter XLV

     They made up for the respect with which unconsciously they treated him by laughing at his foibles and lamenting his vices.

   • 1959, Meriden Record, "An ounce of prevention", July 24 issue

     Final fillip in the Vice-President's study has been a boning up on Premier Khrushchev's favorite foible, proverbs. The bibulous Russian leader likes to throw out homely homilies in his speeches and conversations..

2. (fencing) Part of a sword between the middle and the point, weaker than the forte.
3. A weakness or failing of character.
   • 1932, The Mistakes of Jesus, by William Floyd

     Jesus is reverenced as the one man who has lived unspotted by the world, free from human foibles, able to redeem mankind by his example.

Synonyms

• (a weakness or failing of character): fault

Related terms

• feeble

Translations

a quirk, idiosyncrasy, or mannerism; unusual habit or way

• Danish: dårskab (da) c, svaghed (da) c, manér (da) c
• German: Schwäche (de) f

• Hungarian: hóbort (hu)

a weakness or failing of character

• Danish: svaghed (da) c
• Finnish: heikko (fi), heikko kohta (fi)
• German: Schwäche (de) f

• Hungarian: gyengeség (hu)
• Russian: слабость (ru) (slábostʼ) f
• Serbo-Croatian: slabost (sh) f

part of a sword

• Hungarian: penge gyengéje

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Middle French

Adjective

foible m and f (plural foibles)

1. feeble; week

Derived terms

• foiblement

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Old French

Adjective

foible m and f

1. Alternative form of feble.

Derived terms

• foiblement