WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE

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Hi!What are the differences between 'friable' , 'brittle' , 'crumbly' and 'frail' ?In which contexts should we use them ? I mean with food...bones...figurative sense...ThanxKamil

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

What are the differences between 'friable' , 'brittle' , 'crumbly' and 'frail' ?

In which contexts should we use them ? I mean with food...bones...figurative sense...

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by figurative in this context. Anyway, here are a few general comments.

'friable' I never hear this word spoken, and I very, very rarely read it.

'brittle' Food or bones that is/are easy to break. Dry, not wet.

'crumbly' Food that breaks easily into very small pieces. For bones, too, but only for long-dead bones.

'frail' Not for food. Bones that have no strength, perhaps due to age or disease.

Best wishes, Clive

BarbaraPA · Answer

I used friable

It means it breaks into very tiny pieces when disturbed. This was important in places like a clean room where semiconductors are assembled (are you listening, Goodman?), and also with asbestos, which causes problems with people's lungs. But it's hardly conversational - it's scientific.

J Lewis · Answer

Yes, it's a technical word. Also used for kinds of rock.
Brittle too is used technically to indicate that under stress a material deforms very little before breaking.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE

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