debilis
δυοῖν κακοῖν προκειμένοιν τὸ μὴ χεῖρον βέλτιστον → the lesser of two evils, the less bad thing of a pair of bad things, better the devil you know, better the devil you know than the devil you don't, better the devil you know than the devil you don't know, better the devil you know than the one you don't, better the devil you know than the one you don't know, the devil that you know is better than the devil that you don't know, the devil we know is better than the devil we don't, the devil we know is better than the devil we don't know, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't
Latin > English
debilis debile, debilior -or -us, debilissimus -a -um ADJ :: weak/feeble/frail; crippled/disabled; wanting/deprived (competence); ineffective
Latin > English (Lewis & Short)
dēbĭlis: (old shortened form
I 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.).
I Lit.
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.—
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.
II Trop., disabled, weak, in mind, character, authority, etc.
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).—
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).
Latin > French (Gaffiot 2016)
dēbĭlis,¹¹ e (de, habilis), faible, impotent, infirme, débile : Cic. Rab. perd. 21 ; Sest. 24 ; Phil. 8, 31 ; abst] debiles Curt. 4, 16, 11, les invalides || debile crus Suet. Vesp. 7, jambe paralysée ; debilis umbra Ov. Tr. 3, 4, 20, fantôme sans force ; debile carpit iter Stat. Th. 12, 144, il s’en va d’un pas chancelant || [fig.] faible, impuissant : Cic. Br. 219 ; Cat. 3, 3 ; Tusc. 2, 13 ; Mil. 25 ; Mur. 51 || debilior Tac. H. 4, 62 ; -issimus N. Tir.
Latin > German (Georges)
dēbilis, e, Adi. m. Compar. (urspr. dehibilis, aus de u. habilis), ungelenk durch Schwächung, Lähmung oder Verstümmelung, geschwächt, entnervt, entkräftet (invalid), schwächlich, gebrechlich, gelähmt, verkrüppelt (Ggstz. integer, firmus, validus), I) eig.: a) v. Gliedern des Körpers, v. Körper u. v. leb. Wesen selbst: crus, Suet.: lingua, Mart.: manus, Ov.: membra, Sen.: pennae (Amoris), Ov.: corpus (Ggstz. corpus firmum), Cic.; u. (im Bilde) corpus rei publicae, Cic. – pater, Sen. rhet.: Burrus, Tac.: familia (Sklaven) debilis, caeca, manca, Sen. rhet.: senex d., imbecillus senex aut d., Cic.: Q. Scaevola confectus senectute, praepeditus morbo, mancus et omnibus membris captus ac debilis, Cic.: claudi ac debiles equi, Liv.: canterii debiles, Apul.: pueri pusilli numquam debiles fient, si etc., Cato: turn etiam illum debilem factum, Cic.: liberos, si debiles monstrosique editi sunt, mergimus, Sen. – m. Abl. wodurch? membra metu debilia sunt, Ter.: plurimis stipendiis d. miles, Plin.: mustela annis et senectā d., Phaedr. – m. Abl. woran? ille umero, hic lumbis, hic coxā d., Iuven.: hic fuit d. pedibus manibusque articulorum dolore, Aur. Vict.: amisso filio debilis pedibus factus, Liv. epit.: debilem facito manu, debilem pede, coxā, Maecen. bei Sen. – m. ad (zu, für) u. Akk., ad mandata claudus, caecus, debilis, Plaut. merc. 630: exercitus ille ad ea, quae sequebantur, discrimina haud dubie debilior (zu entnervt) futurus fuit, si hostem habuisset, Curt. 3, 1 (6), 39. – Subst., dēbilis, is, m., der Gebrechliche, der Krüppel, debilis aut luscus (Ggstz. integer omnibus membris et illaesus), Sen.: delicati et formosi debiles (Verschnittene), Sen. rhet.: aegri ac debiles, Lact.: integris debiles implicabantur, Curt.: debilibus integritatem reddere, Lact. – b) v. a. Ggstdn.: ferrum, kraftloses, Verg.: umbra, haltloses, nichtiges Schattenbild, Ov.: debile carpit iter (poet. st. debilis carpit iter), Stat. – II) übtr., geschwächt, schwach, gelähmt, haltlos, equites Romani, quorum vires erant debiles, Cic.: mancam ac debilem praeturam futuram suam, Cic.: ita est utraque res sine altera debilis (einseitig, ein Stückwerk), Cic.: u. so manus, sine quibus trunca esset actio ac debilis, Quint.: u. tamen sine rerum naturae cognitione trunca ac debilis medicina esset, Cels.: ut teneat vetitos inscitia debilis actus, Pers. – v. Pers., tum, cum illum (Catilinam) exterminari volebam... eos qui restitissent infirmos sine illo ac debiles (ohnmächtig u. in ihren Unternehmungen gelähmt) fore putabam, Cic. – m. Abl. woran? qui hāc parte animi (= memoriā) tam debilis esset, ut ne in scripto quidem meminisset, quid paulo ante posuisset, Cic.: Claudius Sanctus dirus ore, ingenio debilior (noch mehr verwahrlost), Tac. – / Superl. debilissimus, Not. Tir. 7, 67b.
