English → Latin
“frail” in Latin
fiscinasmall wicker basket (for fruit etc); punnetfragilisfragile, brittle, easily broken, breakable; weak, frail, flimsy, perishableflū̆xusa flowing, flow, flux; emission (of semen)cadūcusThat falls or has fallen, falling, collapsing, tottering, drooping.; That easily falls, inclined to fall; Devoted to deafugāxswift; flying swiftly; fleeting, transitorybrevisshort, small, little, narrow; brief, short; short, low, shallowimbēcillusweak, feeble; cowardlyīnfirmusweak, feeble; unhealthy, infirm, indisposed, sick; inconclusivedēbilisweak, frail, feeble; lame, disabled, crippled, infirm, debilitatedprōpēnsushanging down; inclining toward, coming near, approaching; inclined, disposed, prone, ready, eager, willing
The English word frail itself goes back to Latin frangō, through fragilis.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
frail
fiscina (a basket made of rushes, Spanish broom, brambles, etc., for fruit, making cheese, etc., Cic. and Verg., etc.).
frail adj.
fragilis: fluxus (inconstant; anything that can not be depended upon). (The words are found in this connection and order.) fluxus et fragilis: caducus (litterally, inclined or fated to fall; hence perishable in its nature). (The words are found in this connection and order.) fragilis caducusque: fugax (easily or quickly passing by): brevis (short): imbecillus (that is deficient in strength; a later form is imbecillis): infirmus (that has no stability and duration): caducus et infirmus (e.g., corpus): debilis (weak from disease): (multis) erroribus obnoxius: ad vitia proclivis or propensus (morally frail; ☞ Cic., Tusc., 37, fin.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for frail?
- The usual Latin words for “frail” are fiscina, fragilis, flū̆xus; also cadūcus, fugāx, brevis. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.