Dictionary

friable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• frī'ə-bəl
• /ˈfɹaɪəbl̩/

Etymology

Borrowed from French friable, from Latin friābilis (“friable”), from friō (“to crumble”).

Meanings

1. Easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder.
   • Spiders had woven their vague trapezes between the friable heads of dead peonies in enormous glass jars streaked with tide marks where the water had evaporated long ago. 1977, Angela Carter, The Passion of New Eve:
   • This light, friable type of material offered excellent insulation against both desert heat and also the cold of darkness during the winter. 1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian, Avignon Quintet edition, Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 1020:
2. Of soil, loose and large-grained in consistency.
   • Sand has been incorporated to make the soil more friable.
   • So while two men under his directions were digging the grave with sticks in the friable granitic soil, he superintended the costume of the other actors in the drama. 1890, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough:
3. Of a poison, likely to crumble and become airborne, thus becoming a health risk.
   • It is when asbestos-containing products are friable that hazardous asbestos fibers are likely to be released and sent airborne. April 1987, Old-House Journal:
4. Of a number: smooth, that factors completely into small prime numbers.

Forms

Deriveds

unfriable · friability · friably · nonfriable · semifriable · friableness · nonfriability

Relateds

brittle

Synonyms

crumbly (easily broken into small fragments)

Translations (76)

vi tơi (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · be дру́злы (loose and large-grained in consistency) · ro friabil (loose and large-grained in consistency) · sh sipak (loose and large-grained in consistency) · hy փխրուն (loose and large-grained in consistency) · mi ngahoro (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · ru тре́скающийся (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · tr ezilgen (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · vi tơi (loose and large-grained in consistency) · ro fragil (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · it allentado (loose and large-grained in consistency) · sv lucker (loose and large-grained in consistency) · es quebradizo (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · ru ло́мкий (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · es friable (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · ru сыпу́чий (loose and large-grained in consistency) · ota یوفقه (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · es desmenuzable (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · fi hapero (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · mi marewa (loose and large-grained in consistency) · sh sipkav (loose and large-grained in consistency) · bg ронлив (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · nrf friabl'ye (loose and large-grained in consistency) · fr friable (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · ga briosc (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · de mürbe (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · sh prhak (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · fi irtonainen (loose and large-grained in consistency) · ru кроша́щийся (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · tyz bông (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · uk ламкий (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · fr cassant (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · pt friável (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · pl kruchy (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · grc ψαθυρός (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · de brüchig (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · bg трошлив (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · fr lâche (loose and large-grained in consistency) · uk сипки́й (loose and large-grained in consistency) · mi ioio (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · it sfoglioso (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · it friabile (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · hy փխրուն (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · de bröselig (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · pl sypki (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · mk тро́шлив (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · de bröselig (loose and large-grained in consistency) · de bröckelig (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · nrf friabl'ye (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · hy փուխր (loose and large-grained in consistency) · hy փուխր (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · mk ро́нлив (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · tyz bông (loose and large-grained in consistency) · fr friable (loose and large-grained in consistency) · es flojo (loose and large-grained in consistency) · ro casant (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · ru сы́пкий (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · be пу́хкі (loose and large-grained in consistency) · de krümelig (loose and large-grained in consistency) · es frágil (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · de krümelig (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · ro friabil (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · bg сипкав (loose and large-grained in consistency) · fi hauras (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · mi pōkurukuru (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · mk си́плив (loose and large-grained in consistency) · uk пухки́й (loose and large-grained in consistency) · uk сипу́чий (loose and large-grained in consistency) · de zerreibbar (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · mi ngahoro (loose and large-grained in consistency) · uk крихки́й (loose and large-grained in consistency) · ru ры́хлый (loose and large-grained in consistency) · bg рохкав (loose and large-grained in consistency) · mi takataka (loose and large-grained in consistency) · ro fărâmicios (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder) · ru рассы́пчатый (easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder)