Foible

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Dr. Goodword
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Foible

Postby Dr. Goodword » Thu Sep 29, 2022 5:57 pm

• foible •


Pronunciation: foy-bêl • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: 1. The weaker, flexible section of a sword or foil blade, between the middle and the tip. 2. A minor weakness or failure of character or behavior.

Notes: Here is a lexical migrant from the vocabulary of fencing. It has remained an orphan except for an archaic noun foiblesse, which referred in the past to an even smaller weakness or a liking, as 'a foiblesse for chocolate'.

In Play: Today's word refers to a forgivable flaw in a person's character: "The most noticeable foible of Maude Lynn Dresser is her constantly lying about her age." It may also refer to a group of people: "The foibles of a nation usually may be found in the proverbs and sayings of neighboring countries."

Word History: Today's Good Word was taken from Old French foible "weak section of sword", a variant of feble "weak", whence English feeble. Today Old French feble is faible. French inherited and reworked its word from Latin flebilis "lamentable, deplorable, to be wept over", an adjective from flere "to cry". This word would seem to have derived from the PIE word bhle-/bhlo- "to blow, howl", origin of English blow and bleat, Dutch blaten, German blöken, Russian bleyat'—all meaning "to bleat", and Greek blekhe "bleating, crying of children". (Now another e-bow to our old friend wordmaster Albert Skiles, who obviously has a strong foiblesse for words, for suggesting we run today's engaging Good Word.)
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David Myer
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Re: Foible

Postby David Myer » Fri Sep 30, 2022 11:47 pm

This is another revelation to me. Great to learn new stuff. I had always assumed that foible was any personality quirk or eccentricity or peccadillo or tendency or inclination. But it is only for weaknesses. And now, having checked peccadillo, I find that it too is specifically for a weakness.

I might, hitherto, have said that an interest in words and their origins was a foible. But I will now have to change from 'foible' to something less pejorative, like... ?

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Slava
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Re: Foible

Postby Slava » Sat Oct 01, 2022 6:33 am

Quirk? Eccentricity? Whim? "It's a 'thing' with me"?
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

Debbymoge
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Re: Foible

Postby Debbymoge » Sat Oct 01, 2022 1:36 pm

interest?
source of joy?
fascination?
passtime?
hobby?
I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.
Shakespear

Philip Hudson
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Re: Foible

Postby Philip Hudson » Sat Oct 01, 2022 2:54 pm

Obsession.
Passion --- no that is too much.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.

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Slava
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Re: Foible

Postby Slava » Sat Oct 01, 2022 5:21 pm

Dalliance?
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

David Myer
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Re: Foible

Postby David Myer » Wed Oct 05, 2022 12:38 am

Thanks guys. Some good suggestions there.

'Interest' is a bit light perhaps, and 'obsession' a bit strong. 'Hobby'? Hmm. They say that it is a thin line between hobby and mental illness.
Which leads to the question of the difference in this case, between a thin line, and a wide grey area.


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