Both Uses of
infirm
in
Oliver Twist
- A pair of slipshod feet shuffled, hastily, across the bare floor of the room, as this interrogatory was put; and there issued, from a door on the right hand; first, a feeble candle: and next, the form of the same individual who has been heretofore described as labouring under the infirmity of speaking through his nose, and officiating as waiter at the public-house on Saffron Hill.†
Chpt 22infirmity = weakness from old age or disease
- This is by no means a disparagement to his character; for many official personages, who are held in high respect and admiration, are the victims of similar infirmities.†
Chpt 37 *infirmities = weaknesses from old age or disease
Definitions:
-
(1)
(infirm) weak from old age or disease
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
A comprehensive dictionary will have more specialized definitions of infirm.