debilitation

[dih-bil-i-tey-shuhn]

noun

1. an act or instance of making a person or thing weak or feeble, often in a specific way; the resulting state of weakness.

   Death or debilitation is statistically far more likely to occur by disease or accident than by malicious action.

Other Word Forms

• nondebilitation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of debilitation¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; from Latin dēbilitātiōn-, stem of dēbilitātiō; debilitate ( def. ), -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

Isla goes from debilitation to windows of composure: helping to deliver a baby or seeing off one of the infected with muscle memory precision that shows a glimpse of her past.

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The draft communique says a majority of member states “share common historical experiences in relation to this abhorrent trade, chattel enslavement, the debilitation and dispossession of indigenous people”.

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Alan Wilson, senior coroner for Blackpool and Fylde, said Debbie died from "the combined effects of her severely emaciated and neglected state, and debilitation caused by widespread Norwegian scabies mite infection".

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Hundreds of sea turtles suffer hypothermia and severe debilitation every year in the colder waters of Cape Cod Bay in Massachusetts, as the cold-blooded reptiles are unable to regulate their body temperatures.

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Aging inherently brings suffering, debilitation and loss — this is not news.

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