Daily AncestorDebility
Debility means general weakness of body; as a cause of death it gave no disease, only that the person had grown too weak to survive.
Debility means weakness. On a death record, general debility or simply debility tells you the person wasted away without a clear named disease.
It was often used for the very old, for infants born weak, and for people after a long illness. Pair it with age and the number of days ill to judge whether it hides old age, a chronic illness or a failing newborn.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Infant dau. of S. Moore, 1 mo., F, W, Ohio, June, Debility, 30 days
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Debility." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/debility. Last checked 2026-10-01.