Indebolir

Indebolir is a Portuguese verb meaning to weaken, diminish the strength, effectiveness, or intensity of something. The term is used in physical, physiological, mechanical, and figurative contexts to describe a process that reduces capacity or resilience. In medical or scientific writing, it can refer to muscle weakening, tissue thinning, or a decline in functional performance. In everyday language, it may describe the weakening of opinions, institutions, or economic conditions.

Etymology: The verb is formed from the prefix in- together with a stem related to debil-, from Latin debilis meaning "weak," and is connected to the related verb debilitar "to debilitate." The construction follows common Romance-language patterns for denoting a process of becoming weaker.

Usage and examples: Indebolir is relatively common in technical prose and literature when discussing deterioration or decline. Examples include: "A idade pode indebolir a musculatura com o tempo." "Políticas mal planejadas podem indebolir a confiança pública." "O regime de treino exagerado pode indebolir o rendimento sem recuperação adequada."

Conjugation and usage note: Indebolir is a regular -ir verb in Portuguese, and its conjugation follows standard endings for this class. It remains comparatively less frequent in everyday speech than more common verbs, but is understood by speakers across the lusophone world.

See also: debilitar, debilidade, debilitação.