Infirm

Infirm is an adjective describing someone who is physically or mentally weak, typically due to age, illness, or injury. It can refer to a temporary condition or to a chronic state and is often found in formal, literary, or historical contexts. A person described as infirm may be considered frail or ailing, and the related noun infirmity denotes the condition itself, or, in older usage, a moral or physical flaw.

Etymology traces infirm to Latin infirmus, meaning not strong, with intermediate forms in Old French before entering Middle English. The word has long carried connotations of vulnerability or insufficient strength.

Usage and nuances: In modern English, infirm frequently conveys a sense of long-standing vulnerability associated with age or illness. It is less common in everyday speech than terms such as sick or ill and can sound formal or archaic. Historically, “the infirm” referred to sick or aged individuals within an institution, such as a hospital, monastery, or charitable house, and related terms like infirmary describe the facility that cares for them.

Related terms: infirmity, meaning the condition or quality of being infirm; debility or frailty, describing weakness; and the noun infirmary, the place where the infirm are treated. While related, these terms emphasize different aspects—state of health, degree of weakness, or the care setting.

In medical or legal contexts, infirm may appear in descriptions of a patient’s condition, often as part of a broader assessment of overall health or vulnerability.