friable

[ frahy-uh-buhl ]

/ ˈfraɪ ə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR friable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

easily crumbled or reduced to powder; crumbly: friable rock.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

freytag, frf, frg, frgs, fri., friable, friar, friar minor, friar minor capuchin, friar minor conventual, friar preacher

Origin of friable

1555–65; < Latin friābilis, equivalent to friā(re) to rub, crumble + -ābilis -able

SYNONYMS FOR friable

fragile, frangible.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR friable ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

Can be confused

friable fryable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for friable

They are friable in the hand, meagre to the touch, and difficultly form a paste with water.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
In consistency it is generally soft and friable, but hard masses, nodules and bands often occur in it.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 2|Various
The lower part of the mound was built of large blocks of limestone and rubble, held loosely together with friable mortar.
The Maya Indians of Southern Yucatan and Northern British Honduras|Thomas William Francis Gann
The bed for the seed should be prepared with care and a friable loam is the best for the purpose.
The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots, 16th Edition|Sutton and Sons

Amber objects are well preserved in water or in peat, but if they have lain in earth, they are darkened and often friable.
The Preservation of Antiquities|Friedrich Rathgen

British Dictionary definitions for friable

friable

/ (ˈfraɪəbəl) /

adjective

easily broken up; crumbly

Derived Forms

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

Medicine definitions for friable

friable

[ frī′ə-bəl ]

adj.

Readily crumbled; brittle.

Relating to a dry, brittle growth of bacteria.