Lewis & Short

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frăgĭlis, e, adj. [root Sanscr. dhraj-, breathe; prop., the fragrant berry; hence, Fr. fraise], easily broken, brittle, fragile (class.; esp. freq. in the transf. signif.; cf.: caducus, fluxus).

  1. I. Lit.: cadi, Ov. M. 12, 243: coryli (with tiliae molles), id. ib. 10, 93: rami, Verg. E. 8, 40: myrtus, Hor. C. 3, 23, 16: ratis, id. ib. 1, 3, 10; cf. phaselus, id. ib. 3, 2, 28: aes malleis, Plin. 34, 8, 20, § 94; cf.: saccharon dentibus, id. 12, 8, 17, § 32: crystalli centrum, id. 37, 2, 10, § 28: caput ictibus parvis, Gell. 6, 1, 11: tenuior fragiliorque penna scarabaeorum, Plin. 11, 28, 34, § 97: ut fragilis glacies interit ira mora, Ov. A. A. 1, 347.
    Poet.: aquae, i. e. ice, Ov. Tr. 3, 10, 26: fragiles sonitus chartarum, i. e. crackling, Lucr. 6, 112: lauri, Verg. E. 8, 82: pollicibus fragiles increpuere manus, Prop. 4 (5), 7, 12; cf. fragor.
  2. II. Transf., in gen., weak, perishable, frail (physically or mentally): fragile corpus animus sempiternus movet, Cic. Rep. 6, 24 fin.; in fragili corpore odiosa omnis offensio est, id. Sen. 18, 65; cf.: (corpora) fragili natura praedita, Lucr. 1, 581; and absol.: fragili quaerens illidere dentem, Offendet solido, Hor. S. 2, 1, 77: fragilissimus alvus, Att. ap. Non. 193, 26.
    Of an effeminate man: Julius et fragilis Pediatia (sarcastically in the fem. gen. instead of Pediatius), qs. the delicate Miss Pediatius, Hor. S. 1, 8, 39: quis enim confidit, sibi semper id stabile et firmum permansurum, quod fragile et caducum sit? Cic. Fin. 2, 27, 86: res humanae fragiles caducaeque sunt, id. Lael. 27, 102; id. Leg. 1, 8, 24; cf.: divitiarum et formae gloria fluxa atque fragilis est, Sall. C. 1, 4: fortuna populi, Cic. Rep. 2, 28 fin.: nec aliud est aeque fragile in homine (quam memoria), Plin. 7, 24, 24, § 90: nulli vita fragilior (quam homini), id. 7 praef. § 5; cf.: (hominum) aevum omne et breve et fragile est, Plin. Pan. 78, 2: haud aevi fragilis sonipes, Sil. 3, 386: anni fragiles et inertior aetas, the frail years (of age), Ov. Tr. 4, 8, 3.
    Adv. does not occur.