Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

dēbĭlis (old shortened form debil, v. Ritschl, Opusc. Phil. 2, 331), e, adj. [de-habilis; cf. Dig. 49, 16, 4, § 12: lit. unmanageable, wanting in flexibility or activity; hence], lame, disabled, crippled, infirm, debilitated, feeble, frail, weak, etc. For syn. cf.: imbecillus, infirmus, invalidus (freq. and class.).

  1. I. Lit.
        1. a. Of personal subjects: debiles fieri, Cato R. R. 157, 10: si gladium imbecillo seni aut debili dederis, Cic. Sest. 10, 24; cf. id. Phil. 8, 10, 31; Phaedr. 4, 2, 10: confectus senectute, mancus et membris omnibus captus ac debilis, Cic. Rab. Perd. 7, 21; cf.: debilis manu, pede, coxa, Maecen. ap. Sen. Ep. 101, 11; ille humero, hic lumbis, hic coxa debilis, * Juv. 10, 227: plurimis stipendiis debilis miles, Plin. 7, 28, 29, § 104: integris debiles implicabantur, Curt. 4, 16, 11: amissis remis atque ordine debilis uno Sergestus, Verg. A. 5, 271: claudi ac debiles equi, Liv. 21, 40.
        2. b. Of inanimate subjects: membra metu, * Ter. Ad. 4, 4, 3; Sen. Contr. 5, 33; cf. debile fit corpus, Lucr. 4, 952; 5, 830: manus, Ov. M. 12, 106: crus, * Suet. Vesp. 7: ferrum, Verg. A. 12, 50: pennae, Ov. R. Am. 198: jugum, id. Pont. 3, 1, 68: umbra, id. Tr. 3, 4, 20.
          Poet.: iter, i.e. of a wounded man, Stat. Th. 12, 144.
  2. II. Trop., disabled, weak, in mind, character, authority, etc.
        1. a. Of personal subjects: eos qui restitissent infirmos sine illo (sc. Catilina) ac debiles fore putabam, Cic. Cat. 3, 2: qui hac parte animi (sc. memoria) tam debilis esset, ut, etc., id. Brut. 61, 219: ingenio debilior, Tac. H. 4, 62; cf.: sine animo anima est debilis, Att. ap. Non. 426, 48 (v. 296 Ribbeck).
        2. b. Of inanimate subjects: duo corpora esse reipublicae, unum debile, infirmo capite: alterum firmum sine capite, Cic. Mur. 25, 51: manca ac debilis praetura, id. Mil. 9, 25; id. Tusc. 2, 5, 13: manus, sine quibus trunca esset actio ac debilis, Quint. 11, 3, 85: inscitia, * Pers. 5, 99.
          Comp. v. supra.
          Sup. appears not to occur.
          * Adv., dēbĭlĭter, infirmly, lamely, feebly: lacrimis lingua debiliter stupet, Pac. ap. Non. 98, 18 (v. 355 Ribbeck).

dēbĭlĭter, adv., v. debilis, ad fin.