fragilis

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *fragelis. Equivalent to frangō (“break, shatter”) +‎ -ilis (“-ile”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈfra.ɡi.lis/, [ˈfräɡɪlʲɪs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈfra.d͡ʒi.lis/, [ˈfräːd͡ʒilis]

Adjective

fragilis (neuter fragile, comparative fragilior); third-declension two-termination adjective

1. fragile, brittle, easily broken, breakable
2. (figuratively) weak, frail, flimsy, perishable

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	fragilis	fragile		fragilēs	fragilia
Genitive	fragilis			fragilium
Dative	fragilī			fragilibus
Accusative	fragilem	fragile		fragilēs fragilīs	fragilia
Ablative	fragilī			fragilibus
Vocative	fragilis	fragile		fragilēs	fragilia

Derived terms

• fragilitās
• īnfragilis

Related terms

• fractiō
• fractor
• fractūra
• fragēscō
• fragmen
• fragmentum
• fragor
• frangō

Descendants

• Asturian: fráxil
• → English: fragile
• Catalan: fràgil
• French: fragile
  • → Romanian: fragil
• Friulian: fragjil
• Galician: fráxil
• Italian: fragile
• Occitan: fragil
• Old French: fraile, frele
  • French: frêle
  • → English: frail
  • → Italian: frale
• Piedmontese: fràgil
• → Portuguese: frágil
• Romanian: fraged (perhaps)
• Sicilian: fràgulu, sfràgulu
• → Spanish: frágil
• → German: fragil

References

• “fragilis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “fragilis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• fragilis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.