¹brittle

fragile, frangible, brittle, crisp, friable mean breaking easily. fragile implies extreme delicacy of material or construction and need for careful handling <a fragile antique chair>. frangible implies susceptibility to being broken without implying weakness or delicacy <frangible stone used for paving>. brittle implies hardness together with lack of elasticity or flexibility or toughness <brittle bones>. crisp implies a firmness and brittleness desirable especially in some foods <crisp lettuce>. friable applies to substances that are easily crumbled or pulverized <friable soil>.

brittle, crisp, and fragile mean easily broken. brittle is used of something that is hard and dry. <Brittle twigs snapped under our feet.> crisp is used of something hard and dry but also fresh. <These crackers are no longer crisp.> fragile is used of anything so delicate that it may be broken easily. <He held a piece of fragile china.>