Etymograph

English

debility

Debility comes from Latin dēbilitās ‘weakness’, from dēbilis ‘weak’, and ultimately from habeō ‘to have, possess’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabeō1‘to have, possess’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabilis2‘able’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēbilis2‘weak’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēbilitās2‘weakness’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400debilité2
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500debylite2
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1618debility2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin habilis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English debility
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1618, Patrick Anderson, The Colde Spring of Kinghorne Craig […]: “[…] and is the onlie laſt remedie for all…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabeōWiktionary, Latin habilis‘to have, possess’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabilisWiktionary, English debility‘able’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēbilisWiktionary, English debility‘weak’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēbilitāsWiktionary, English debility‘weakness’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400debilitéWiktionary, English debility
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500debyliteWiktionary, English debility
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1618debilityWiktionary, English debility. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1618, Patrick Anderson, The Colde Spring of Kinghorne Craig […]: “[…] and is the onlie laſt remedie for all…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- ‘to grab, to take’

doubt, habitat, endeavor, dubious, gab, habitual, javelin, aver, 22 more

through Proto-Italic *habēō

prohibitive, 6 more

through Latin habeō ‘to have, possess’

due, average, exhibition, habit, prohibition, prohibit, inhibition, inhibit, debit, haver, debenture, 20 more

through Latin habilis ‘able’

able, ability, habilitation, 4 more

Today it means

noun A state of physical or mental weakness.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “debility”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin habilis. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin habeō / debility

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