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infirmity

[in-fur-mi-tee]
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noun, plural in·fir·mi·ties for 1, 3.
  1. a physical weakness or ailment: the infirmities of age.
  2. quality or state of being infirm; lack of strength.
  3. a moral weakness or failing.
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Origin of infirmity

1325–75; Middle English infirmite < Latin infirmitās. See infirm, -ity
Related formssu·per·in·fir·mi·ty, noun, plural su·per·in·fir·mi·ties.

Synonyms

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3. flaw, defect, fault.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

maladyailmentimperfectiondeficiencyafflictionfrailtydecrepitudedebilityfailingdebilitationdecayfeeblenessfaultconfinementvulnerabilitydiseaseindispositionmalaiseshortcomingdefect

Examples from the Web for infirmity

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Your parents are now declining fast under the weight of years and infirmity.

    Imogen

    William Godwin

  • I have dropped off every physical burden and infirmity I had, and I am in the pink of condition.

    The Old Game

    Samuel G. Blythe

  • Discontent is the want of self-reliance: it is infirmity of will.

    Essays, First Series

    Ralph Waldo Emerson

  • The Princess was not sure of “infirmity,” but it sounded well.

    The Very Small Person

    Annie Hamilton Donnell

  • To tell her of all this, though he must needs do it for her safety, was like reproaching her with her infirmity.

    The Scapegoat

    Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for infirmity

infirmity

noun plural -ties
  1. the state or quality of being infirm
  2. physical weakness or debility; frailty
  3. a moral flaw or failing
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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 infirmity

n.

late 14c., "disease, sickness; lack of capability, weakness," from Latin infirmitatem (nominative infirmitas) "want of strength, weakness, feebleness," noun of quality from infirmus (see infirm). Cf. Middle French infirmité, Old French enfermete.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
infirmity in Medicine

infirmity

(ĭn-fûr′mĭ-tē)
n.
  1. A bodily ailment or weakness, especially one brought on by old age.
  2. A condition or disease producing weakness.
  3. A failing or defect in a person's character.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.