grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsDisplaying a particular kind of inflection, including:

grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsDisplaying a particular kind of inflection, including:

• In some Semitic languages such as Akkadian, some or all gutturals are weak and often disappear, but in others such as Arabic and Ugaritic, they are strong and never disappear.
• The reflexes of the Proto-Semitic verb *mawut- (“to die”) are often weak due to the presence of w, for example: Arabic مَاتَ (māta), Hebrew מֵת (mēṯ), and Ugaritic 𐎎𐎚 (mt /⁠māta⁠/).

grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsDisplaying a particular kind of inflection, including:

• The Finnish verb kääntää (“to translate”) inflects to the singular imperative as käännä, showing the weak gradation nt > nn because it historically ended in a consonant which closed the syllable.

Of a form in which the accent tends to shift forwards (to the right, in transcription) or did so ancestrally in Proto-Indo-European, relative to the strong stem (which has the leftmost accent allowed).

• Paradigmatic slots in which the accent and correlating e-grade are positioned further to the left of the word are traditionally termed strong, those with accent and e-grade further to the right, are called weak. In all nouns and verbs which show these alternations, the strong and the weak forms are predictable from the morphological category […].
• The PIE zero grade was most often found in weak stems, such as in *mn̥téys (“of thought, from thinking”, genitive/ablative singular of *méntis) and *mn̥yóh₂er (“I am thinking”). Over time it spread to strong stems, i.e. *mń̥tis, by processes of analogy and leveling. The full grade was persistent in the first syllable of reduplicated stative verbs: strong *tetórph₂e (“I am satisfied”), weak *tetr̥pmé (“we all are satisfied”), though for some verbs such as *pí-ph₃-e- (“to drink”) there was an unusual i-grade which may have lacked any distinct weak counterpart.

Of a form in which the accent tends to shift forwards (to the right, in transcription) or did so ancestrally in Proto-Indo-European, relative to the strong stem (which has the leftmost accent allowed).

Of a form in which the accent tends to shift forwards (to the right, in transcription) or did so ancestrally in Proto-Indo-European, relative to the strong stem (which has the leftmost accent allowed).

• All middle forms of Indo-European verbs are traditionally weak. Middle-only verbs can still be compared to hypothetical strong stems, such as weak *ǵn̥h₁-yé- (e.g. *ǵn̥h₁yéto, “(he/she/it) was born”) versus strong *ǵénh₁-ye-.

human-scienceslinguisticsphonologyLenis, pronounced with less force or less markedness.

chemistrynatural-sciencesphysical-sciencesThat does not ionize completely into anions and cations in a solution.

• a weak acid
• a weak base

natural-sciencesphysical-sciencesphysicsOne of the four fundamental forces associated with nuclear decay.

slangBad or uncool.

• This place is weak.

human-scienceslogicmathematicsHaving a narrow range of logical consequences; narrowly applicable. (Often contrasted with a strong statement which implies it.)

Resulting from, or indicating, lack of judgment, discernment, or firmness; unwise; hence, foolish.

• If evil thence ensue, / She first his weak indulgence will accuse.

Not having power to convince; not supported by force of reason or truth; unsustained.

• The prosecution advanced a weak case.
• convinced of his weak arguing

Lacking in vigour or expression.

• a weak sentence; a weak style
• It could turn out that An Unexpected Journey is the weakest of this trilogy, the necessary preamble before less-stultifying action and more engaging character development ensue. But, to paraphrase the sweet and stout-hearted Bilbo himself, this adventure won’t just make you late for dinner. It might make you miss breakfast and lunch, too. Only the most dedicated Middle-earthers will find that the hunger pangs are worth it.

Not prevalent or effective, or not felt to be prevalent; not potent; feeble.

• Thy threats have no more strength than her weak prayers.

businessfinancestock-marketTending towards lower prices.

• a weak market; wheat is weak at present

artshobbieslifestyleLacking contrast.

• a weak negative