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)
- 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 […].
- (now rare) Amiable, flexible, easy to get along with. [from 16th c.]
- His facile disposition made him many friends.
- 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.
- 1932, Duff Cooper, Talleyrand, Folio Society 2010, p. 54:
- 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.
- 2012, Chris Huhne, The Guardian, 3 May 2012:
- (chemistry) Of a reaction or other process, taking place readily.
- Decarboxylation of beta-keto acids is facile...
SynonymsEdit
- (skillful): See also Thesaurus:skillful
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
Easy, taking minimal effort
Further readingEdit
- facile in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- facile in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- facile at OneLook Dictionary Search
AnagramsEdit
EsperantoEdit
PronunciationEdit
AdverbEdit
facile
AntonymsEdit
- malfacile (“with difficulty”)
Related termsEdit
FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
Borrowed from Latin facilis (“easy”), from faciō (“I do, make”).
PronunciationEdit
AdjectiveEdit
facile (plural faciles)
- 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
- “facile” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
AnagramsEdit
InterlinguaEdit
AdjectiveEdit
facile (comparative plus facile, superlative le plus facile)
AntonymsEdit
ItalianEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Latin facilis (“easy”), from faciō (“I do, make”).
PronunciationEdit
AdjectiveEdit
facile (masculine and feminine plural facili)
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
AnagramsEdit
LatinEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From the neuter accusative case form of facilis.
Alternative formsEdit
- facul (anteclass.)
AdverbEdit
facile (comparative facilius, superlative facillimē)
Etymology 2Edit
AdjectiveEdit
facile
- nominative neuter singular of facilis
- accusative neuter singular of facilis
- 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
- an easy, fluent style: expedita et facile currens oratio
Middle FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
1441, borrowed from Latin facilis[1].
AdjectiveEdit
facile m or f (plural faciles)
- easy (not difficult)
ReferencesEdit
- ^ “facile” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).