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debilitate

[ dih-bil-i-teyt ]
/ dɪˈbɪl ɪˌteɪt /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR debilitate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), de·bil·i·tat·ed, de·bil·i·tat·ing.

to make weak or feeble; enfeeble: The siege of pneumonia debilitated her completely.

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RELATED WORDS

eviscerate, attenuate, disable, cripple, exhaust, harm, mar, devitalize, injure, prostrate, extenuate, relax, hurt, enfeeble, spoil, enervate, sap, blunt, undermine, weaken

Nearby words

debe, debeak, debenture, debenture bond, debierne, debilitate, debilitating, debilitation, debility, debir, debit

Origin of debilitate

1525–35; < Latin dēbilitātus (past participle of dēbilitāre), equivalent to dēbilit-, stem of dēbilis weak + -ātus -ate1
SYNONYMS FOR debilitate
weaken, deplete, enervate, devitalize.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR debilitate ON THESAURUS.COM
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for debilitate

British Dictionary definitions for debilitate

debilitate

/ (dɪˈbɪlɪˌteɪt) /

verb

(tr) to make feeble; weaken
Derived Formsdebilitation, noun

Word Origin for debilitate

C16: from Latin dēbilitāre, from dēbilis weak
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for debilitate

debilitate

v.

1530s, from Latin debilitatus, past participle of debilitare "to weaken," from debilis "weak" (see debility). Related: Debilitated; debilitating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper