Debilities

/dɪˈbɪlɪtiz/ noun

Definition

The plural form of debility; multiple instances or types of weakness or physical frailty.

Etymology

From Latin 'debilitas,' the nominalization of 'debilitare' (to weaken). The English plural '-ies' replaced the Latin '-as' ending as the word was adopted into English around the 15th century.

Kelly Says

Medieval and Renaissance doctors obsessively catalogued human debilities in medical texts—they were genuinely trying to map all the ways the body could fail. This word became incredibly common in medical literature when people were first learning anatomy.

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