debilitating

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 19, 2022 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>debilitating</strong> &#149; \dih-BILL-uh-tay-ting\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Debilitating</em> means "causing serious impairment of strength or ability to function."</p> <p>// The flu can be <em>debilitating</em> for several days.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debilitating">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Smartphone addiction is a real thing, and it can be really <em>debilitating</em>. This rings even more true in the context of the global pandemic when millions upon millions of people are basically stuck at home with nothing else to do." — RJ Pierce, <em>Tech Times</em>, 13 Dec. 2021</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>The verb <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debilitate">debilitate</a></em> (and its adjective form <em>debilitating</em>) comes from the Latin word for "weak," <em>debilis</em>. Often used of disease—as in, "the patient was debilitated"—it can also suggest something that strikes like a disease or illness, "the actor was debilitated by stage fright." In sum, the word suggests a temporary impairment or a condition of weakness and helplessness.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>