What is the Latin word for weaken?

The usual Latin words for “weaken” are imbēcillus, īnfirmō, dēbilitō; also ēnervō, afficiō, attenuō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“weaken” in Latin

imbēcillusweak, feeble; cowardly īnfirmōto weaken, enfeeble, deprive of strength; to invalidate, disprove, dispute dēbilitōto cripple or maim; to debilitate, unnerve, disable or weaken ēnervōto remove the nerves and sinews; to enervate, weaken; to make effeminate afficiōto cause someone to experience something; to visit, inflict, bestow; to treat, manage, handle; to influence, have an eff attenuōto make thin, attenuate, thin, reduce; to make weak, weaken, lessen, diminish, attenuate, enfeeble extenuōto thin, reduce, diminish levōto raise, elevate, lift up; to make light, lighten; to relieve, ease, comfort ēlevōto raise or elevate; to alleviate or sooth; to weaken, lessen atterōto wear away, rub away; to grind; to chafe

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

weaken

Proprerly and Figuratively, imbecillum, infirmum facere, reddere aliquid: infirmare: debilitare: enervare: afficere: attenuare: extenuare: levare: elevare: atterere: affligere: labefactare. To weaken greatly, comminuere: contundere: frangere: refringere: infringere: to weaken an army, aliquid virium ex acie subducere (Curt.): to weaken the power of the enemy, opes hostium affligere (Liv., 2, 16), debilitare (Nep.): to weaken mind and body, nervos mentis ac corporis frangere (Quint., 1, 2, 6): to weaken the mind or intellect, mentem obtundere (Cic.); comminuere ingenium (Quint.); hebetare ingenium, mentem (Cic.); praestringere aciem animi, ingenii, mentis (Cic.): to weaken the eyes, praestringere oculos, aciem oculorum (Cic.); hebetare or obtundere aciem oculorum (Plin.).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for weaken?: The usual Latin words for “weaken” are imbēcillus, īnfirmō, dēbilitō; also ēnervō, afficiō, attenuō. 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.