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definitions

foible

[foi-buhl]
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noun

a minor weakness or failing of character; slight flaw or defect: an all-too-human foible.
the weaker part of a sword blade, between the middle and the point (opposed to forte).

RELATED WORDS

quirk, idiosyncrasy, failing, peculiarity, eccentricity, shortcoming, weakness, frailty, infirmity, kink, vice, fault, oddity, defect, mannerism, characteristic, singularity

Nearby words

  1. fogram,
  2. fogy,
  3. foh,
  4. foi,
  5. foia,
  6. foie gras,
  7. foil,
  8. foilborne,
  9. foiled,
  10. foilsman

Origin of foible

1640–50; < French, obsolete form of faible feeble
ANTONYMS FOR foible
1. strength.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for foible

British Dictionary definitions for foible

foible

noun

a slight peculiarity or minor weakness; idiosyncrasy
the most vulnerable part of a sword's blade, from the middle to the tipCompare forte 1 (def. 2)

Word Origin for foible

C17: from obsolete French, from obsolete adj: feeble
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 foible

foible

n.

1640s, "weak point of a sword blade" (contrasted to forte), from French foible (n.), from obsolete foible (adj.) "weak," from Old French foible "feeble," dissimilated from Lain flebilis (see feeble). Extended sense of "weak point of character" is first recorded 1670s. Related: Foibles.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper