debilitate

Definitions

From Latin dēbilis = de- ('un-, away') + -bilis ('able') = 'un-able, weak.' To debilitate is to drain someone's ability to function. This is the one word in the family where bil itself carries the 'able' meaning inside the stem.

Why It Means This

Most learners never see the 'able' hiding in debilitate. Latin dēbilis literally meant 'un-able' (de- + -bilis), i.e. lacking strength. So a debilitating illness is one that strips away your ability to do things, leaving you weak. The same dē-bilis sits behind the noun debility ('weakness'). It is the clearest proof that bil = 'able.'

Common Collocations

• 1.debilitating illness使人衰弱的疾病
• 2.debilitating disease致虚弱的病症
• 3.severely debilitate严重削弱
• 4.debilitating pain令人虚弱的疼痛

Example Sentences

• 1.

  A series of small strokes had debilitated her, leaving her unable to walk unaided.

• 2.

  Chronic stress can debilitate the immune system over months and years.

• 3.

  The drought debilitated the local economy, and many farms never recovered.

Synonym Comparison