a.
1. Having a weak mind; lacking strength of purpose. Of actions, opinions, etc.: Indicating weakness of mind.
1782. Miss Burney, Cecilia, V. xiii. ‘Oh fie,’ cried he, ‘to suffer your understanding to be lulled asleep, because the weak-minded Mr. Arnott’s could not be kept awake!’
1842. Abdy, Water Cure, 57. Nor will any one, who wilfully prejudices the weak-minded and uninstructed against this method,… stand guiltless.
1863. Miss Braddon, Eleanor’s Vict., III. xv. 227. It is my misfortune to be weak-minded. I can’t say ‘no’ to people.
1878. J. Gairdner, Rich. III., i. 7. The Duke of York … fruitlessly endeavoured to bind a weak-minded king by pledges.
1890. H. James, Tragic Muse, xxxv. If he should go abroad his mother might think he had some weak-minded view of joining Julia Dallow.
2. Mentally deficient; half-witted.
1883. Encycl. Brit., XV. 797/1. The care of the weak-minded and the insane.
1899. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., VII. 744. The educative and disciplinary influences resorted to in the treatment of weak-minded children.
1899. Daily News, 28 Sept., 7/3. This woman had two sisters weak-minded, who were in the lunatic asylum.
Hence Weak-mindedness.
1854. Mill, Diary, 4 Feb., in Lett. (1910), II. 367. It might well be that even good men thought that to be scrupulous about means was weakmindedness.
1888. Fortn. Rev., 1 Oct., 449. Murderous attacks may result from … Insanity of primary weak-mindedness.
1897. Mary Kingsley, W. Africa, 400. How long ago this happened it is impossible to say, owing to … the weak-mindedness of the African regarding time.
