weaken

English

Etymology

weak +‎ -en

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈwikən/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːkən

Verb

weaken (third-person singular simple present weakens, present participle weakening, simple past and past participle weakened)

1. (transitive) To make weaker or less strong.

   weaken a bond

   weaken a joint

2. (intransitive) To become weaker or less strong.

   Over the years my enthusiasms for the job has weakened.

Translations

to make weaker

• Azerbaijani: zəiflətmək
• Belarusian: аслабля́ць (aslabljácʹ), асла́біць (aslábicʹ)
• Bulgarian: ослабям (bg) (oslabjam), правя слаб (pravja slab)
• Catalan: debilitar (ca), afeblir (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 削弱 (zh) (xuēruò), 減弱／减弱 (zh) (jiǎnruò)

• Czech: oslabit
• Dutch: verzwakken (nl)
• Finnish: heikentää (fi)
• French: affaiblir (fr)
• German: schwächen (de), abschwächen (de)
• Hebrew: החליש‎ m (hechlish)
• Hungarian: gyengít (hu)
• Italian: indebolire (it), spossare (it)
• Japanese: 弱くする (yowaku suru)
• Latin: debilito, infirmo, labefactō, ēnervō
• Latvian: vājināt
• Malagasy: manalemy (mg)
• Maori: whakaeo, whakaruhi, whakamakuhane, whakangoikore, whakaiwikore, tāmōmō
• Old English: untrumian
• Portuguese: enfraquecer (pt)
• Russian: ослабля́ть (ru) impf (oslabljátʹ), осла́бить (ru) pf (oslábitʹ)
• Sanskrit: जासयति (sa) (jāsayati)
• Scottish Gaelic: lagaich
• Spanish: debilitar (es), languir
• Swahili: dhii (sw)
• Swedish: försvaga (sv)
• Turkish: dayanıksızlaştırmak, güçsüzleştirmek (tr), kuvvetsizleştirmek, zayıflatmak (tr)
• Zazaki: taqet ra finen

to become weaker

• Aromanian: slãghescu
• Azerbaijani: zəifləmək (az)
• Bulgarian: отслабвам (bg) (otslabvam)
• Catalan: debilitar-se, afeblir-se (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 削弱 (zh) (xuēruò), 減弱／减弱 (zh) (jiǎnruò)

• Dutch: verzwakken (nl)
• Finnish: heikentyä (fi), heiketä (fi)
• French: s'affaiblir (fr)
• Galician: desfalecer (gl), esmorecer (gl)
• German: schwächeln (de)
• Hungarian: gyengül (hu)
• Ido: debileskar (io)
• Italian: indebolirsi (it)
• Japanese: 弱くなる (yowaku naru), 衰える (ja) (otoroeru), 弱気になる (yowaki ni naru)
• Latin: infirmor
• Maori: kōngenge, ngongohe, taero
• Mongolian: сулрах (mn) (sulrax)
• Old English: untrumian
• Polish: słabnąć (pl) impf, osłabnąć (pl) pf, bezsilnieć impf (dated, rare)
• Portuguese: enfraquecer (pt)
• Romanian: slăbi (ro)
• Russian: слабе́ть (ru) impf (slabétʹ), ослабева́ть (ru) impf (oslabevátʹ), ослабе́ть (ru) pf (oslabétʹ), осла́бнуть (ru) pf (oslábnutʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: lagaich
• Spanish: debilitarse (es), languecer, languidecer (es)
• Swedish: försvagas (sv), mattas (sv)
• Turkish: dayanıksızlaşmak (tr), güçsüzleşmek (tr), kuvvetsizleşmek, zayıflamak (tr)