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When should you use friable?
Friable entered into English in the mid-1500s, and was borrowed either from Middle French or directly from Latin friabilis. This Latin adjective comes from the verb "friare," which means "to crumble." "Friare" in turn is related to the verb "fricare" ("to rub"), the source of the English noun "friction." "Friable" is used to describe something that can be easily reduced to a powdered form. In contemporary usage, it is often found in the discussion of asbestos. Health concerns about asbestos primarily center around friable asbestos—that is, asbestos that is easily pulverized into tiny fibers which may remain suspended in the air and become a potential health risk to those who inhale them.
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Examples of friable in a Sentence
Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024
What is Leaf Mold? Simply put, leaf mold is a valuable soil conditioner that can be made by leaving leaves to decompose into a crumbly, friable mulch or potting ingredient.
—Elizabeth Waddington, Treehugger, 7 Sep. 2023
The hammers fell hard on LeMond’s friable frame.
—Adrienne So, Wired, 14 Sep. 2021
The paper is cheap, friable, the glue impermanent.
—John Warner, chicagotribune.com, 23 Aug. 2021
Does the compost have a dark, friable texture?
—oregonlive, 14 Aug. 2021
The meteorite in question is not a hard, dense rock, but actually very soft and friable (crumbly).
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2011
The rock beneath the massive flood deposits was relatively friable volcanic rock, easily broken and carved.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Apr. 2022
They’re turned annually, but otherwise left to their own devices in a tri-year cycle that converts his kitchen scraps, weeds and leaves into moist friable soil rich in micronutrients.
—Beth Segal, cleveland, 8 July 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'friable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near friable
Cite this Entry
“Friable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friable. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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friable
adjective
Pippa Oakeshott et al.
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