{"id":4582,"date":"2026-09-05T13:57:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T13:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4582"},"modified":"2026-09-05T15:56:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T15:56:37","slug":"adventures-in-etymology-feeble-foibles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4582","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Etymology &#8211; Feeble Foibles"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Feeble Foibles\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-09-05T13:57:29+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M10S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the words feeble and foible with bleating and bells.\n\n\n\nFeeble [\u02c8fi\u02d0b\u0259l] means deficient in physical strength; lacking force, vigour or effectiveness in action or expression, or faint.\n\nIt comes f...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/feeblefoibles.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"thumbnailURL\" content=\"http:\/\/https\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/videos\/feeblefoibles.jpg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.2\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_6048\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4582-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/feeblefoibles.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/feeblefoibles.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/feeblefoibles.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/feeblefoibles.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4582-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/feeblefoibles.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"feeblefoibles.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the words <strong>feeble<\/strong> and <strong>foible<\/strong> with <strong>bleating<\/strong> and <strong>bells<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/videos\/feeblefoibles.jpg\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" alt=\"Feeble Foibles\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Feeble<\/strong> [\u02c8fi\u02d0b\u0259l] means deficient in physical strength; lacking force, vigour or effectiveness in action or expression, or faint.<\/p>\n<p>It comes from Middle English <em>feble<\/em> [\u02c8fe\u02d0b\u0259l \/ \u02c8fe\u02d0bl\u0259] (feeble, weak, insidious), from Anglo-Norman <em>feble<\/em> (weak, feeble), from Latin <em>fl\u0113bilis<\/em> (lamentable, doleful), from  <em>fle\u014d<\/em> (to weep, cry, lament), ultimately from PIE <em>*b\u02b0leh\u2081-<\/em> (to bleat, cry), from <em>*b\u02b0el-<\/em> (to sound, speak, roar, bark) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/feeble#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same PIE roots include <strong>\u0431\u043b\u0435\u044f\u0442\u044c<\/strong> (blejat\u2019 &#8211; to bleat) in Russian, <strong>blaten<\/strong> (to bleat, to speak pointlessly) in Dutch, <strong>bjalla<\/strong> (bell, to be noisy, to call) in Icelandic, and <strong>bell<\/strong>, <strong>bleat<\/strong> and <strong>blatant<\/strong> in English [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European\/b%CA%B0el-\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><strong>Foible<\/strong> [\u02c8f\u0254\u026ab\u0259l] means a quirk, idiosyncrasy, frailty or mannerism; an unusual habit that is slightly strange or silly, or a weakness or failing of character.<\/p>\n<p>It comes from Early Modern French <em>foible<\/em> (feeble, weak), from Old French <em>feble \/ foible<\/em> (weak, feeble), from Latin <em>fl\u0113bilis <\/em> (lamentable, doleful), and so on &#8211; the same root as <strong>feeble<\/strong> [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/foible#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same Latin roots include <strong>feble<\/strong> (weak, feeble) in Catalan, <strong>fl\u00e9bil<\/strong> (tearful, fragile) in Portuguese, <strong>f\u00e4bless<\/strong> (penchant, fondness) in Swedish, and <strong>Faible<\/strong> (soft spot, weakness, craze) in German [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European\/b%CA%B0el-\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/uk\/cgi-bin\/webscr?cmd=_flow&amp;SESSION=aLjPfXL-vP_1gQ_U23Iz8_hSWLlhzLHPMFZrt32dIEfG8htoNFLYaPoWkv8&amp;dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8def8934b92a630e40b7fef61ab7e9fe63\">PayPal<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/omniglot\">Patreon<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/donations.htm\">contribute to Omniglot in other ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with <a href=\"https:\/\/blubrry.com\/services\/podcast-hosting\/?code=omniglot\">Blubrry Podcast Hosting<\/a>, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code <strong>omniglot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.japanesepod101.com\/member\/go.php?r=759259&amp;i=b0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/banners\/banner_japanesepod.jpg\" alt=\"The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com\" width=\"630\" height=\"83\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/\">Omniglot Blog<\/a>, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/\">Celtiadur<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Blog horizontal --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"1685480124\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Feeble Foibles\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-09-05T13:57:29+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M10S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the words feeble and foible with bleating and bells.\n\n\n\nFeeble [\u02c8fi\u02d0b\u0259l] means deficient in physical strength; lacking force, vigour or effectiveness in action or expression, or faint.\n\nIt comes f...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/feeblefoibles.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"thumbnailURL\" content=\"http:\/\/https\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/videos\/feeblefoibles.jpg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.2\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_6049\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4582-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/feeblefoibles.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/feeblefoibles.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/feeblefoibles.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/feeblefoibles.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4582-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/feeblefoibles.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"feeblefoibles.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the words feeble and foible with bleating and bells. Feeble [\u02c8fi\u02d0b\u0259l] means deficient in physical strength; lacking force, vigour or effectiveness in action or expression, or faint. It comes from Middle English feble [\u02c8fe\u02d0b\u0259l \/ \u02c8fe\u02d0bl\u0259] (feeble, weak, insidious), from Anglo-Norman feble (weak, feeble), from Latin [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,124,115,47,20,56,23,24,29,4,50,58,11,109,1,27,59,32],"tags":[489,490,488,90,486,487,9,15,88,8,103],"class_list":["post-4582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures-in-etymology","category-anglo-norman-norman","category-catalan-catala","category-dutch","category-english","category-etymology","category-french","category-german","category-icelandic","category-language","category-latin","category-middle-english","category-music","category-old-french-franceis","category-podcast","category-portuguese","category-proto-indo-european","category-russian","tag-bell","tag-blatant","tag-bleat","tag-etymology","tag-feeble","tag-foible","tag-language","tag-music","tag-omniglot","tag-podcast","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4582"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4585,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4582\/revisions\/4585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}