foible

English

WOTD – 11 August 2007

Etymology

(1640-50) From Early Modern (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French foible (“feeble”) (contemporary French faible). Doublet of feeble.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɔɪbəl/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (AU):

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• Rhymes: -ɔɪbəl

Adjective

foible (comparative more foible, superlative most foible)

1. (obsolete) Weak; feeble.
   • a. 1648 Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, The Life of Edward Lord Herbert of Cherbury, page 46:

     The good Fencing-maſters, in France eſpecially, when they preſent a Foyle or Fleuret to their Scholars, tell him it hath two Parts, one of which he calleth the Fort or ſtrong, and the other the Foyble or weak […]

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. 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.

3. (fencing) Part of a sword between the middle and the point, weaker than the forte.

Synonyms

• (a weakness or failing of character): fault

Related terms

• feeble

Translations

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

• Danish: dårskab c, svaghed c, manér c
• Dutch: gril (nl)
• French: travers (fr) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Schwäche (de) f, Eigenheit (de) f, Marotte (de) f, Spleen (de) m
• Hungarian: hóbort (hu)
• Spanish: manía (es) f

a weakness or failing of character

• Bulgarian: слабост (bg) f (slabost), недостатък (bg) m (nedostatǎk)
• Danish: svaghed c
• Dutch: zwakheid (nl)
• Finnish: heikkous (fi), heikko kohta
• French: faiblesse (fr) f
• German: Schwäche (de) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: gyengeség (hu)
• Russian: сла́бость (ru) f (slábostʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: slabost (sh) f
• Spanish: defecto (es) m, punto débil m
• Turkish: zaaf (tr)

(fencing) part of a sword

• Dutch: kling (nl)
• French: faible (fr) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: penge gyengéje

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Middle French

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French foible, feble.

Adjective

foible m or f (plural foibles)

1. feeble; weak

Derived terms

• foiblement

Descendants

• French: faible

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Old French

Adjective

foible m (oblique and nominative feminine singular foible)

1. Alternative form of feble

Derived terms

• foiblement