▪ I. frail, n.1
(freɪl)
Forms: 4–5 frayel, fraell(e, fraiel, 4–6 frayle, 5–6 frale, 6 fraile, 7 freal, 6– frail.
[a. OF. frayel, of unknown origin.]
1. A kind of basket made of rushes, used for packing figs, raisins, etc.; the quantity of raisins, etc. (30 to 75 lbs.) contained in this.
| 13.. Coer de L. 1549 Fyggys, raysyns, in frayel. 1382 Wyclif Jer. xxiv. 2 One fraiel hadde good figus. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. xi. 494 A multitude of reysouns..take, And into russhy frayels rare hem gete. 1483 Cath. Angl. 141/1 A frale [v.r. fraelle] of fygis, palata. 1562 Turner Herbal ii. 144 b, A kind of..sea rishe (whereof the frayles are made that fyges and rasines are carried hether in out of Spayne). c 1618 Fletcher Q. Corinth ii. iv, Three frailes of spratts..Ore as much meat as these. 1791 Cowper Iliad xviii. 719 In frails of wicker bore the luscious fruit. 1836 Fraser's Mag. XIV. 286 Sixteen frails of Zante currants. 1880 W. Whiteley Diary & Alman. 82 Frail of figs = 32 to 56 lbs. |
2. ‘A rush for weaving baskets’ (Johnson 1755).
3. Comb., as frail basket, frail-bent, frail-rush.
| 1548 Turner Names Herbs (E.D.S.) 76 Spartum herba..may be called in english Frailbente. 1578 Lyte Dodoens iv. lii. 511 The frayle Rushe or panier Rushe, bycause they use to make figge frayles and paniers therwithall. 1815 A. Constable Let. 27 Jan. in J. Constable's Correspondence (1962) I. 112 The frail basket in which the turkey is, is your own. 1900 A. Morrison Cunning Murrell i. 9 Over his shoulder he carried a large gingham umbrella..and from its handle hung a frail basket. |
▪ II. frail, n.2 ? Obs.
| 1691 T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. 119 Observations upon loading of a Ship with Lead..Salt, Frail, and Timber. |
▪ III. frail, n.3 slang (chiefly U.S.).
[Subst. use of frail a.]
A woman.
| 1908 H. Green Maison de Shine 50 Aw, the frails is all the same... A guy comes along and shoots that old con about how he's the grandest thing on earth, an' the wisest of 'em fall. 1926 Amer. Speech I. 462/1 The Apollo Theater in London prints the following glossary of slang in its program as a guide to ‘Is Zat So?’ Dame, Frail,..Girl. 1931 E. Linklater Juan in Amer. ii. xvi. 177 Bullets whistling through the air to..threaten widowhood for the ravished frail. 1945 P. Cheyney I'll Say she Does v. 141 She's a swell dish—a lovely piece of frail. 1970 K. Platt Pushbutton Butterfly (1971) iv. 36 A smaller soggy shape was huddled behind him... An Angel and his frail challenging another night. |
▪ IV. frail, a.
(freɪl)
Forms: 4–5 fre(e)(l)l(e, (4 freile, 5 fraiel, frale, freall, freyle), 5–7 fraile, -yle, 6– frail.
[ad. OF. fraile, frele (Fr. frêle) = It. fraile:—L. fragilis fragile.]
1. Liable to break or be broken; easily crushed or destroyed.
| 1382 Wyclif Wisd. xiv. 1 An other thinkende to seilen..the tree berende hym, inwardli clepeth a more frele tree. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 177/2 Freyl, and brokulle, or brytylle, fragilis. 1535 Coverdale Wisd. xv. 13 He y{supt} of earth maketh frayle vessell and ymages, knoweth himself to offende aboue all other. c 1586 C'tess Pembroke Ps. xcii. 7 The wicked grow Like fraile, though flowry grasse. 1600 Fairfax Tasso vi. xlviii, Their armours forged were of mettall fraile. 1713 Young Last Day ii. 63 Thus a frail model of the work design'd First takes a copy of the builder's mind. 1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms ii. 496 In that frail bark the lovers sit. 1879 Stainer Music of Bible 82 Their great age renders the wood from which they were made extremely frail. |
b. Of immaterial things, sometimes with conscious metaphor: Subject to casualties, liable to be suddenly shattered, transient.
| c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 2482 How freele is werldly welefare. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) C ij b, It is no new thyng that men gape for hygh and frayle thynges. 1656 Cowley Pindar. Odes 2nd Olympique vi, With a frail good they wisely buy The solid Purchase of Eternity. 1703 Rowe Ulyss. iv. i. 1523 Grasp thy frail Life, and break it like a Bubble. 1770 Goldsm. Des. Vill. 291 But when those charms are past, for charms are frail. 1843 J. Martineau Chr. Life (1867) 295 A profounder but a frailer bliss. |
2. Weak, subject to infirmities; wanting in power, easily overcome.
| 1382 Wyclif Rom. viii. 3 That was vnpossible to the lawe, in what thing it was syk, or freel, by fleisch. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. lxii. (1495) 178 The flesshe..was freell and brotyll of mankynd. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione i. xxii. 29 Al þe while þat we bere þis fraiel body, we can not be wiþoute synne. 1545 Joye Exp. Dan. ii. 28 b, Because the toes were parte yerne and parte baked erthe, this empyre shalbe partely stronge and partely frayle and weak. 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 227 Wil not my tongue be mute, my fraile ioints shake? 1611 Bible Ps. xxxix. 4 That I may know how fraile I am. 1790 Beatson Nav. & Mil. Mem. I. 291 The Governor and Council..knowing the frail condition of the place, were greatly alarmed. 1853 Mrs. Carlyle Lett. II. 222 Too weak and frail to be out of bed. 1871 R. Ellis Catullus lxv. 18 Lest..these words..Seem too soon from a frail memory fallen away. |
b. dial. (See quot.)
| [Cf. 1387 in 5.] 1886 S.W. Linc. Gloss., Frail, weak-minded, timid, frightened: as ‘She was born frail, poor lass.’ |
3. Morally weak; unable to resist temptation; habitually falling into transgression.
Now sometimes applied as a half-jocular euphemism, to a woman who lives unchastely or has fallen from virtue.
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxiv. 8 See how frele I am of kynd. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iii. 117 Heo is frele of hire Flesch, Fikel of hire tongue. 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. xxii. §10 In our speech of most holy things, our most fraile affections many times are bewrayed. 1667 Milton P.L. iii. 404 Purposed not to doom frail Man So strictly. 1713 Young Force Relig. i. (1757) 54 Though with ill frail nature will be mov'd, I'll bear it well. 1824 W. Irving T. Trav. I. 250 The leniency of one who felt himself to be but frail. 1868 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) II. vii. 90 Most likely a child of the frail Abbess of Leominster. |
† 4. Tender. Obs.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. viii. 31 That sight..smote Deepe indignation and compassion frayle Into his hart. |
5. Comb., as frail-bodied, frail-floreted, frail-lived, frail-strung, frail-witted.
| 1850 Lynch Theo. Trin. xi. 211 Trinal was a *frail-bodied man. |
| 1860 Ruskin Mod. Paint. V. vi. i. §1 Infinite orchards wreathing the hills with *frail-floretted snow. |
| 1859 Ld. Lytton Wanderer (ed. 2) 204 *Frail-lived April's newliest nurtured blossoms. |
| 1820 Keats Lamia i. 309 The self-same pains Inhabited her *frail-strung heart. |
| 1387 T. Usk Test. Love iii. vii (Skeat) 57 *Freelwitted people supposen in such poesies to be begyled. |
Hence † ˈfrailful a. [+ -ful], extremely frail. ˈfrailish a. [+ -ish], somewhat frail, feeble. ˈfrailly adv., in a frail manner.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 25689 Man..þat frelli fra þi [God's] frenscep fell. a 1541 Wyatt Domine ne in furore tuo Poet. Wks. 216, I know my frailful wickedness. 1630 J. Taylor (Water P.) Whore 33 Wks. ii. 108/2 King Dauid frailely fell. 1854 Lowell Lett. (1894) I. 209 A rather frailish kind of stuff. 1860 Chamb. Jrnl. XIV. 50 The two garments linked frailly by a half-yard of string. |
▪ V. frail, v. U.S. dial.
[prob. f. Eng. dial. frail flail.]
trans. To beat, thrash. Hence ˈfrailing vbl. n.
| 1851 M. L. Byrn Arkansaw Doctor 82 (Th.), The old man plainly told her..he would frail her worse than a dog would a pole-cat. Ibid. 123 (Th.), He..did not like the thought of getting a frailing for it. 1890 J. C. Harris in Century Mag. Dec. 287/1 He uped an' frailed me out, an' got the gal to boot. 1896 Peterson Mag. Jan. 89/2 A frailing with a dead branch left him [sc. a mule] unmoved. 1901 W. Churchill Crisis i. xii. 97 Reckon I'd frail 'em good ef he catched hold of me with his black hands. 1932 W. Faulkner Light in August (1933) xi. 229 I'll frail the tar out of you. |