weakness

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

weak +‎ -ness

Pronunciation

• X-SAMPA: /"wi:k.n@s/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

weakness (countable and uncountable; plural weaknesses)

1. (uncountable) The condition of being weak.

   In a small number of horses, muscle weakness may progress to paralysis.

2. (countable) An inadequate quality; fault

   His inability to speak in front of an audience was his weakness.

   • 2013 January 22, Phil McNulty, “Aston Villa 2-1 Bradford (3-4)”, BBC:

     Bradford had preyed on Villa's inability to defend set pieces, corners in particular, in their first-leg win and took advantage of the weakness again as Hanson equalised to restore their two-goal aggregate lead.

3. (countable) A special fondness or desire.

   She is an athlete who has a weakness for chocolate.

Translations

condition of being weak

• Asturian: debilidá (ast) f
• Catalan: debilitat (ca) f, feblesa (ca) f
• Chinese: 虛弱,軟弱,薄弱
• Czech: slabost (cs) f
• Dutch: zwakte (nl)
• Finnish: heikkous (fi), voimattomuus (fi)
• French: faiblesse (fr) f

  Old French: feblece f

• Galician: debilidade (gl) f
• German: Schwäche (de) f
• Greek: αδυναμία (el) (adynamía) f
• Hebrew: חולשה (he) (khulshá) f
• Hungarian: gyengeség (hu)

• Interlingua: debilitate (ia)
• Italian: debolezza (it)
• Japanese: 弱さ (ja) (よわさ, yowasa)
• Latin: infirmitas (la) f
• Norwegian: svakhet (no) f
• Occitan: debilitat (oc) f, feblesa (oc) f
• Polish: słabość (pl) f
• Portuguese: fraqueza (pt) f
• Russian: слабость (ru) (slábost') f
• Spanish: debilidad (es) f
• Swedish: svaghet (sv) c
• Thai: ความอ่อนแอ (th)

fault

• Asturian: debilidá (ast) f
• Catalan: debilitat (ca) f, feblesa (ca) f
• French: faiblesse (fr) f, feblece (fr) f
• Interlingua: debilitate (ia)

• Italian: debolezza (it) f, punto debole (it) m
• Japanese: 弱点 (ja) (jakuten)
• Latin: infirmitas (la) f

special fondness

• Catalan: debilitat (ca) f, feblesa (ca) f
• Czech: slabost (cs) f
• Finnish: heikkous (fi)
• French: faible (fr) m
• German: Schwäche (de) f
• Italian: debole (it) m
• Japanese: 目がない (ja) (me ga nai)

• Latin: infirmitas (la) f
• Norwegian: svakhet (no) f
• Polish: słabość (pl)
• Portuguese: queda (pt) f, fraco (pt) m
• Russian: слабость (ru) (slábost') f
• Swedish: svaghet (sv) c

External links

• weakness in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• weakness in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911