debilitate

American  

[dih-bil-i-teyt] / dɪˈbɪl ɪˌteɪt /

verb (used with object)

debilitated, debilitating

1. to make weak or feeble; enfeeble.

   The siege of pneumonia debilitated her completely.

   Synonyms:

   devitalize, enervate, deplete, weaken

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debilitate British  

/ dɪˈbɪlɪˌteɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to make feeble; weaken

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Other Word Forms

• debilitant
  noun
• debilitation
  noun
• debilitative
  adjective
• nondebilitating
  adjective
• nondebilitative
  adjective
• overdebilitate
  verb (used with object)
• undebilitated
  adjective
• undebilitating
  adjective
• undebilitative
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of debilitate

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin dēbilitātus (past participle of dēbilitāre ), equivalent to dēbilit-, stem of dēbilis “weak” + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

To debilitate something is to make it weaker. A bad flu may debilitate your powers of concentration, like the New Year's resolutions that temporarily debilitate bakeries' business. The verb debilitate traces back to the Latin word debilis, meaning “lame, disabled, crippled.” It’s often used to describe what disability or illness does to a person's health, but it can describe anything that has been weakened, like the sense of community that is slowly debilitated by people working longer hours and the lack of sidewalks that in many towns make it harder to walk around and meet the neighbors.

Example Sentences

Debilitate, de-bil′i-tāt, v.t. to make weak: to impair the strength of.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Related Words

• attenuate
• cripple
• disable
• eviscerate