friable

Meaning

1. Easily broken into small fragments, crumbled, or reduced to powder.
2. Of soil, loose and large-grained in consistency.
3. Of a poison, likely to crumble and become airborne, thus becoming a health risk.
4. Of a number: smooth, that factors completely into small prime numbers.

Synonyms

crumbly

brittle

fragile

loose

mellow

breakable

mealy

frail

short

frangible

crisp

non-cohesive

light

loamy

crumbling

crimp

porous

powdery

quick

rickety

rotten

short-lived

tender

brickle

shattery

free-flowing

non-coherent

lacking cohesion

dry

delicate

ethereal

crumby

Translations

friable

bröckelig

friável

bröcklig

desmenuzable

سهل التفتيت

friabile

εύθρυπτος

mürbe

friable

tendu

tendre

meuble

tendre

lâche

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈfɹaɪəbl̩/

Etymology

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