Where does “foible” come from?
foible (Middle French) comes from Old French feble, from Vulgar Latin febelis, from Latin flēbilis, from Latin fleō, from Proto-Italic flēō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰléh₁-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.
foible (Middle French): feeble; weak
Definitions
- feeble; weak
Ancestry of “foible”, step by step
foible traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French feble
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | feble | weak; feeble |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | febelis | — |
| 3 | Latin | flēbilis | lamentable |
| 4 | Latin | fleō | to weep, cry |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | flēō | weep, cry |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰléh₁- | to bleat |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |