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friable

[ frahy-uh-buhl ]
/ ˈfraɪ ə bəl /
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adjective
easily crumbled or reduced to powder; crumbly: friable rock.
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Origin of friable

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin friābilis, equivalent to friā(re) “to rub, crumble” + -ābilis -able

OTHER WORDS FROM friable

fri·a·bil·i·ty, fri·a·ble·ness, nounun·fri·a·ble, adjectiveun·fri·a·ble·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH friable

friable , fryable
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use friable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for friable

friable
/ (ˈfraɪəbəl) /

adjective
easily broken up; crumbly

Derived forms of friable

friability or friableness, noun

Word Origin for friable

C16: from Latin friābilis, from friāre to crumble; related to Latin fricāre to rub down
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
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