Word of the Day

: April 14, 2010

vulnerable

adjective VUL-nuh-ruh-bul

What It Means

1 : capable of being physically or emotionally wounded

2 : open to attack or damage : assailable

vulnerable in Context

James made sure to install the latest antivirus software on his computer so it would not be vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Did You Know?

"Vulnerable" is ultimately derived from the Latin noun "vulnus" ("wound"). "Vulnus" led to the Latin verb "vulnerare," meaning "to wound," and then to the Late Latin adjective "vulnerabilis," which became "vulnerable" in English in the early 1600s. "Vulnerable" originally meant "capable of being physically wounded" or "having the power to wound" (the latter is now obsolete), but since the late 1600s, it has also been used figuratively to suggest a defenselessness against non-physical attacks. In other words, someone (or something) can be vulnerable to criticism or failure as well as to literal wounding. When it is used figuratively, "vulnerable" is often followed by the preposition "to."