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When should you use friable?
Friable entered into English in the mid-1500s, and was borrowed either from Middle French or directly from Latin friabilis. This Latin adjective comes from the verb "friare," which means "to crumble." "Friare" in turn is related to the verb "fricare" ("to rub"), the source of the English noun "friction." "Friable" is used to describe something that can be easily reduced to a powdered form. In contemporary usage, it is often found in the discussion of asbestos. Health concerns about asbestos primarily center around friable asbestos—that is, asbestos that is easily pulverized into tiny fibers which may remain suspended in the air and become a potential health risk to those who inhale them.
Synonyms
fragile, frangible, brittle, crisp, friable mean breaking easily.
fragile implies extreme delicacy of material or construction and need for careful handling.
frangible implies susceptibility to being broken without implying weakness or delicacy.
brittle implies hardness together with lack of elasticity or flexibility or toughness.
crisp implies a firmness and brittleness desirable especially in some foods.
friable applies to substances that are easily crumbled or pulverized.
Examples of friable in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'friable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Friable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friable. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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friable
adjective
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