"weakest link" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "The figurative sense comes by metaphor from the literal sense: the notion that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. (See historical details there.)",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "weakest links",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "weakest link (plural weakest links)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Arabic translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Systems theory",
          "orig": "en:Systems theory",
          "parents": [
            "Sciences",
            "Systems",
            "All topics",
            "Interdisciplinary fields",
            "Society",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems."
      ],
      "id": "en-weakest_link-en-noun-eguQVgqI",
      "links": [
        [
          "system",
          "system"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "Achilles heel"
        },
        {
          "word": "weak point"
        },
        {
          "word": "weak link"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "al-ḥalaqatu l-ʔaḍʕaf",
          "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "الحَلَقَةُ الأَضْعَف"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
          "tags": [
            "feminine",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "zwakste schakel"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
          "word": "heikoin lenkki"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "maillon faible"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "schwächstes Glied"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
          "word": "leggyengébb láncszem"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "anello debole"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "najsłabsze ogniwo"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "sláboje zvenó",
          "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "сла́бое звено́"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "eslabón más débil"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender",
            "definite"
          ],
          "word": "svagaste länken"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "akilleshäl"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "weakest link"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "The figurative sense comes by metaphor from the literal sense: the notion that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. (See historical details there.)",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "weakest links",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "weakest link (plural weakest links)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Arabic translations",
        "Terms with Dutch translations",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Hungarian translations",
        "Terms with Italian translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations",
        "Terms with Swedish translations",
        "en:Systems theory"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "system",
          "system"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "Achilles heel"
    },
    {
      "word": "weak point"
    },
    {
      "word": "weak link"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "al-ḥalaqatu l-ʔaḍʕaf",
      "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "الحَلَقَةُ الأَضْعَف"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "zwakste schakel"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
      "word": "heikoin lenkki"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "maillon faible"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "schwächstes Glied"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
      "word": "leggyengébb láncszem"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "anello debole"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "najsłabsze ogniwo"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "sláboje zvenó",
      "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "сла́бое звено́"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "eslabón más débil"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender",
        "definite"
      ],
      "word": "svagaste länken"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "the part of a system that is most likely to fail or cause problems",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "akilleshäl"
    }
  ],
  "word": "weakest link"
}