Hypertext Webster Gateway: "frail"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Frail \Frail\, n. [OE. fraiel, fraile, OF. fraiel, freel, frael,
fr. LL. fraellum.]
A basket made of rushes, used chiefly for containing figs and
raisins.
2. The quantity of raisins -- about thirty-two, fifty-six, or
seventy-five pounds, -- contained in a frail.
3. A rush for weaving baskets. --Johnson.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Frail \Frail\, a. [Compar. {Frailer}; superl. {Frailest}.] [OE.
frele, freile, OF. fraile, frele, F. fr[^e]le, fr. L.
fragilis. See {Fragile}.]
1. Easily broken; fragile; not firm or durable; liable to
fail and perish; easily destroyed; not tenacious of life;
weak; infirm.
That I may know how frail I am. --Ps. xxxix.
4.
An old bent man, worn and frail. --Lowell.
2. Tender. [Obs.]
Deep indignation and compassion. --Spenser.
3. Liable to fall from virtue or be led into sin; not strong
against temptation; weak in resolution; also, unchaste; --
often applied to fallen women.
Man is frail, and prone to evil. --Jer. Taylor.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
frail
adj 1: physically weak; "an invalid's frail body" [ant: {robust}]
2: having the attributes of man as opposed to e.g. divine
beings; "I'm only human"; "frail humanity" [syn: {fallible},
{imperfect}, {weak}]
3: easily broken or damaged or destroyed; "a kite too delicate
to fly safely"; "fragile porcelain plates"; "fragile old
bones"; "a frail craft" [syn: {delicate}, {fragile}]
n 1: the weight of a frail (basket) full of raisins or figs;
between 50 and 75 pounds
2: a basket for holding dried fruit (especially raisins or
figs)
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.