penible

See also: pénible

English

Etymology

From Middle English penyble, from Old French penible. Compare painable.

Adjective

penible (comparative more penible, superlative most penible)

1. (obsolete) painstaking; assiduous
   • 1840, Joel Samuel Polack, Manners and Customs of the New Zealanders:

     The encroachments of these men, who are aware of their power, often has rendered the residence of a European among the tribes, the most penible state of existence.

   • 1862, Mrs. Henry Freshfield, A Summer Tour in the Grisons and Italian Valleys of the Bernina:

     This was the most "penible" portion of the walk, for although not very steep, the loose and slippery boulders, which covered the surface, made it so insecure that great care was necessary.

References

• “penible”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

German

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

penible

1. inflection of penibel:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Middle French

Adjective

penible m or f (plural penibles)

1. terrible; awful; horrible

Descendants

• French: pénible