Etymology Map
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Fragile

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means easily broken

Where does the word "fragile" come from? It comes from Latin fragilis, passing through French before entering English (1510s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
fragilis
Latin · ancient
"breakable"
from 'frangere', to break, the root of 'fraction' and 'fracture'
2
Stage 2 of 3
fragile
French · 1400s
"breakable"
the native French form of the same word became 'frêle', frail
3
Stage 3 of 3
fragile
English · 1510s
"breakable"
'frail' is the older form of the same word
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Read the full story

Fragile’s story begins in Latin: fragilis meant “breakable.” From 'frangere', to break, the root of 'fraction' and 'fracture'. By 1400s, the word had taken hold in French as fragile. The native French form of the same word became 'frêle', frail. It reached English by 1510s as fragile. 'frail' is the older form of the same word. Today, fragile means easily broken.