vulnerable

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 14, 2010 is: vulnerable • \VUL-nuh-ruh-bul\ • adjective 1 : capable of being physically or emotionally wounded 2 : open to attack or damage : assailable Examples: 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." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.