facile

EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from Middle French facile, from Latin facilis (“easy to do, easy, doable”), from faciō (“I do, make”). Compare Spanish fácil ("easy").

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

facile (comparative more facile, superlative most facile)

  1. Easy, now especially in a disparaging sense; contemptibly easy. [from 15th c.]
    • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 54573970:
      , vol.I, New York, 2001, p.243:
      as he that is benumbed with cold sits shaking, that might relieve himself with a little exercise or stirring, do they complain, but will not use the facile and ready means to do themselves good […].
  2. (now rare) Amiable, flexible, easy to get along with. [from 16th c.]
    His facile disposition made him many friends.
  3. Effortless, fluent (of work, abilities etc.). [from 17th c.]
    • 1932, Duff Cooper, Talleyrand, Folio Society 2010, p. 54:
      we can learn the impression that he made upon a stranger and a foreigner at this period, thanks to the facile pen of Fannu Burney.
    • 1974, Graham Greene, The Honorary Consul, Pocket Books, New York, p.54:
      "Discipline," Jorge Julio Saavedra was repeating, "is more necessary to me than to other more facile writers.
    • 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society 2010, p. 372:
      A facile and persuasive writer, he also turned out countless newspaper articles on Russian aims in Central Asia and how best these could be thwarted.
  4. Lazy, simplistic (especially of explanations, discussions etc.). [from 19th c.]
    • 2012, Chris Huhne, The Guardian, 3 May 2012:
      There is a facile view that our green commitments – to tackling climate change, avoiding air and water pollution, protecting natural habitats – are an obstacle to growth. The message of the commodity markets is surely different.
  5. (chemistry) Of a reaction or other process, taking place readily.
    Decarboxylation of beta-keto acids is facile...

SynonymsEdit

Related termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

Further readingEdit

AnagramsEdit

EsperantoEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /faˈtsi.le/
  • Audio
    		(file)

AdverbEdit

facile

  1. easily

AntonymsEdit

Related termsEdit

FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from Latin facilis (“easy”), from faciō (“I do, make”).

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

facile (plural faciles)

  1. easy, simple
    Il n'est pas facile de vivre avec le diabète.
    It is not easy to live with diabetes.
    Il est facile à comprendre.
    He is easy to understand.
    • 2020, “Couvre-feu : le désarroi des restaurateurs français”, in France 24‎[1]:
      "Certes, ce n'est pas facile d'avoir 20 ans en 2020", concède Frank Delvau, reprenant l'expression utilisée par Emmanuel Macron, la veille.
      "Certainly, it's not easy to be twenty years old in 2020," Frank Delvau conceded, picking up the expression used by Emmanuel Macron the day before.
    Antonym: difficile (“difficult”)

Usage notesEdit

The preposition de is used with an impersonal subject, and à with a non-impersonal one.

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

Further readingEdit

AnagramsEdit

InterlinguaEdit

AdjectiveEdit

facile (comparative plus facile, superlative le plus facile)

  1. easy

AntonymsEdit

ItalianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin facilis (“easy”), from faciō (“I do, make”).

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

facile (masculine and feminine plural facili)

  1. easy
  2. cosy
  3. effortless

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

AnagramsEdit

LatinEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From the neuter accusative case form of facilis.

Alternative formsEdit

AdverbEdit

facile (comparative facilius, superlative facillimē)

  1. easily
    Synonym: faciliter

Etymology 2Edit

AdjectiveEdit

facile

  1. nominative neuter singular of facilis
  2. accusative neuter singular of facilis
  3. vocative neuter singular of facilis

ReferencesEdit

  • facile in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879
  • facile in Charlton T. Lewis, An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1891
  • Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden, Latin Phrase-Book‎[2], London: Macmillan and Co., 1894
    • an easy, fluent style: expedita et facile currens oratio
    • that is self-evident, goes without saying: hoc facile intellegi potest

Middle FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

1441, borrowed from Latin facilis[1].

AdjectiveEdit

facile m or f (plural faciles)

  1. easy (not difficult)

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ “facile” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
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