The word of the day for June 10th.
Today's word is foible, spelled F-O-I-B-L-E.
Foible is a noun.
Foibles are minor flaws or shortcomings in someone's character or behavior.
In fencing, foible refers to the weakest part of a sword's blade between the middle and point.
Here's the word used in a sentence from The Week.
The British sketch comedy troupe Monty Python loved taking aim at contemporary foibles through its twisted
and liberal reading of history.
Many word lovers agree that the pen is mightier than the sword,
but be they honed in wit or form, even the sharpest tools in the shed have their flaws.
That's where the word foible comes in handy.
Borrowed from French in the 1600s, the word originally referred to the weakest part of a fencing sword,
that part being the portion between the middle and the pointed tip.
The English word foible soon came to be applied not only to weaknesses in blades,
but also to minor failings in character.
Foible ultimately traces back to the Old French term feble, which is also the source of our English adjective feeble.
With your Word of the Day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.
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