frail
Translation
frail, weak, delicate
Examples
Her frail hands could barely hold the cup.
Her frail hands could barely hold the cup.
The old bridge looks very frail.
The old bridge looks very frail.
Grammar Patterns
a frail ((person/object)) a weak or delicate (person/object) She helped the frail man cross the street.
to look/seem frail to appear weak or delicate The bird's nest looked too frail to hold the eggs.
Similar Words
Synonyms: weak, delicate, feeble; Antonyms: strong, robust, sturdy
Etymology
From Old French 'fraile', from Latin 'fragilis' (breakable), which comes from 'frangere' (to break). Same root as 'fragment'.
Memory Tips
It sounds a bit like 'fail'. A frail person might 'fail' to lift something heavy. Or think of 'fragile'.