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Webster 1913 Edition

Weak

Weak

(wēk)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Weaker
(wēk′ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Weakest
.]
[OE.
weik
, Icel.
veikr
; akin to Sw.
vek
, Dan.
veg
soft, flexible, pliant, AS.
wāc
weak, soft, pliant, D.
week
, G.
weich
, OHG.
weih
; all from the verb seen in Icel.
vīkja
to turn, veer, recede, AS.
wīcan
to yield, give way, G.
weichen
, OHG.
wīhhan
, akin to Skr.
vij
, and probably to E.
week
, L.
vicis
a change, turn, Gr.
εἴκειν
to yield, give way. √132. Cf.
Week
,
Wink
,
Verb.
I.
Vicissitude
.]
1.
Wanting physical strength.
Specifically: –
(a)
Deficient in strength of body; feeble; infirm; sickly; debilitated; enfeebled; exhausted.
A poor, infirm,
weak
, and despised old man.
Shakespeare
Weak
with hunger, mad with love.
Dryden.
(b)
Not able to sustain a great weight, pressure, or strain;
as, a
weak
timber; a
weak
rope
.
(c)
Not firmly united or adhesive; easily broken or separated into pieces; not compact;
as, a
weak
ship
.
(d)
Not stiff; pliant; frail; soft;
as, the
weak
stalk of a plant
.
(e)
Not able to resist external force or onset; easily subdued or overcome;
as, a
weak
barrier; as, a
weak
fortress
.
(f)
Lacking force of utterance or sound; not sonorous; low; small; feeble; faint.
A voice not soft,
weak
, piping, and womanish.
Ascham.
(g)
Not thoroughly or abundantly impregnated with the usual or required ingredients, or with stimulating and nourishing substances; of less than the usual strength;
as,
weak
tea, broth, or liquor; a
weak
decoction or solution; a
weak
dose of medicine
.
(h)
Lacking ability for an appropriate function or office;
as,
weak
eyes; a
weak
stomach; a
weak
magistrate; a
weak
regiment, or army
.
2.
Not possessing or manifesting intellectual, logical, moral, or political strength, vigor, etc.
Specifically: -
(a)
Feeble of mind; wanting discernment; lacking vigor; spiritless;
as, a
weak
king or magistrate
.
To think every thing disputable is a proof of a
weak
mind and captious temper.
Beattie.
Origen was never
weak
enough to imagine that there were two Gods.
Waterland.
(b)
Resulting from, or indicating, lack of judgment, discernment, or firmness; unwise; hence, foolish.
If evil thence ensue,
She first his
weak
indulgence will accuse.
Milton.
(c)
Not having full confidence or conviction; not decided or confirmed; vacillating; wavering.
Him that is
weak
in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Rom. xiv. 1.
(d)
Not able to withstand temptation, urgency, persuasion, etc.; easily impressed, moved, or overcome; accessible; vulnerable;
as,
weak
resolutions;
weak
virtue
.
Guard thy heart
On this
weak
side, where most our nature fails.
Addison.
(e)
Wanting in power to influence or bind;
as,
weak
ties; a
weak
sense of honor of duty
.
(f)
Not having power to convince; not supported by force of reason or truth; unsustained;
as, a
weak
argument or case
.
“Convinced of his weak arguing.”
Milton.
A case so
weak
. . . hath much persisted in.
Hooker.
(g)
Wanting in point or vigor of expression;
as, a
weak
sentence; a
weak
style
.
(h)
Not prevalent or effective, or not felt to be prevalent; not potent; feeble.
“Weak prayers.”
Shak.
(i)
Lacking in elements of political strength; not wielding or having authority or energy; deficient in the resources that are essential to a ruler or nation;
as, a
weak
monarch; a
weak
government or state
.
I must make fair weather yet awhile,
Till Henry be more
weak
, and I more strong.
Shakespeare
(k)
(Stock Exchange)
Tending towards lower prices;
as, a
weak
market
.
3.
(Gram.)
(a)
Pertaining to, or designating, a verb which forms its preterit (imperfect) and past participle by adding to the present the suffix -ed, -d, or the variant form -t; as in the verbs abash, abashed; abate, abated; deny, denied; feel, felt. See
Strong
, 19
(a)
.
(b)
Pertaining to, or designating, a noun in Anglo-Saxon, etc., the stem of which ends in -n. See
Strong
, 19
(b)
.
☞
Weak
is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as,
weak
-eyed,
weak
-handed,
weak
-hearted,
weak
-minded,
weak
-spirited, and the like.
Weak conjugation
(Gram.)
,
the conjugation of weak verbs; – called also
new conjugation
, or
regular conjugation
, and distinguished from the
old conjugation
, or
irregular conjugation
.
–
Weak declension
(Anglo-Saxon Gram.)
,
the declension of weak nouns; also, one of the declensions of adjectives.
–
Weak side
,
the side or aspect of a person’s character or disposition by which he is most easily affected or influenced; weakness; infirmity.
–
weak sore
or
weak ulcer
(Med.)
,
a sore covered with pale, flabby, sluggish granulations.

Weak

,
Verb.
T.
&
I.
[Cf. AS.
w[GREEK]can
.
wācian
. See
Weak
,
Adj.
]
To make or become weak; to weaken.
[R.]
Never to seek
weaking
variety.
Marston.

Webster 1828 Edition

Weak

WEAK

,
Adj.
[G. The primary sense of the root is to yield, fail, give way, recede, or to be soft.]
1.
Having little physical strength; feeble. Children are born weak; men are rendered weak by disease.
2.
Infirm; not healthy; as a weak constitution.
3.
Not able to bear a great weight; as a weak bridge; weak timber.
4.
Not strong; not compact; easily broken; as a weak ship; a weak rope.
5.
Not able to resist a violent attack; as a weak fortress.
6.
Soft; pliant; not stiff.
7.
Low; small; feeble; as a weak voice.
8.
Feeble of mind; wanting spirit; wanting vigor of understanding; as a weak prince; a weak magistrate.
To think every thing disputable, si a proof of a weak mind and captious temper.
9.
Not much impregnated with ingredients, or with things that excite action, or with stimulating and nourishing substances; as weak broth; weak tea; weak toddy; a weak solution; a weak decoction.
10.
Not politically powerful; as a weak nation or state.
11.
Not having force of authority or energy; as a weak government.
12.
Not having moral force or power to convince; not well supported by truth or reason; as a weak argument.
13.
Not well supported by argument; as weak reasoning.
14.
Unfortified; accessible; impressible; as the weak side of a person.
15.
Not having full conviction or confidence; as weak in faith.
16.
Weak land is land of a light thin soil. [I believe never used in New England.]

WEAK

,
Verb.
T.
To make weak. [Not used.]

WEAK

,
Verb.
I.
To become weak. [Not used.]

Definition 2024

weak

weak

English

Adjective

weak ‎(comparative weaker, superlative weakest)

  1. Lacking in force (usually strength) or ability.
    The child was too weak to move the boulder.‎
    They easily guessed his weak computer password.‎
    • Shakespeare
      a poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man
    • Dryden
      weak with hunger, mad with love
  2. Unable to sustain a great weight, pressure, or strain.
    a weak timber; a weak rope
  3. Unable to withstand temptation, urgency, persuasion, etc.; easily impressed, moved, or overcome; accessible; vulnerable.
    weak resolutions; weak virtue
    • Joseph Addison, The Fair Petinent Act I, scene I:
      Guard thy heart / On this weak side, where most our nature fails.
  4. Dilute, lacking in taste or potency.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 2, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired.
    We were served stale bread and weak tea.‎
  5. (grammar) Displaying a particular kind of inflection, including:
    1. (Germanic languages, of verbs) Regular in inflection, lacking vowel changes and having a past tense with -d- or -t-.
    2. (Germanic languages, of nouns) Showing less distinct grammatical endings.
    3. (Germanic languages, of adjectives) Definite in meaning, often used with a definite article or similar word.
  6. (chemistry) That does not ionize completely into anions and cations in a solution.
    a weak acid;  a weak base‎
  7. (physics) One of the four fundamental forces associated with nuclear decay.
  8. (slang) Bad or uncool.
    This place is weak.‎
  9. (mathematics, logic) Having a narrow range of logical consequences; narrowly applicable. (Often contrasted with a strong statement which implies it.)
  10. Resulting from, or indicating, lack of judgment, discernment, or firmness; unwise; hence, foolish.
    • Milton
      If evil thence ensue, / She first his weak indulgence will accuse.
  11. Not having power to convince; not supported by force of reason or truth; unsustained.
    The prosecution advanced a weak case.
    • Milton
      convinced of his weak arguing
  12. Lacking in vigour or expression.
    a weak sentence; a weak style
  13. Not prevalent or effective, or not felt to be prevalent; not potent; feeble.
    • Shakespeare
      weak prayers
  14. (stock exchange) Tending towards lower prices.
    a weak market; wheat is weak at present
  15. (photography) Lacking contrast.
    a weak negative

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

West Frisian

Adjective

weak

  1. soft

Etymology

From Middle English weik, waik, from Old Norse veikr ‎(“weak”), from Proto-Germanic *waikwaz ‎(“weak, yielded, pliant, bendsome”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyk- ‎(“to bend, wind”). Cognate with Old English wāc ‎(“weak, bendsome”), wīcan ‎(“to yield”), Saterland Frisian wook ‎(“soft, gentle, tender”) West Frisian weak ‎(“soft”), Dutch week ‎(“soft, weak”), German weich ‎(“weak, soft”), Swedish vek ‎(“weak, pliant”), Icelandic veikur ‎(“bendsome, weak”).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: wēk, IPA(key): /wiːk/
  • Rhymes: -iːk
  • Homophone: week

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