Susceptible means easily influenced or harmed by something. Susceptible to infection, susceptible to flattery, a susceptible age.
It takes to, and the thing that follows is what does the harm. It also has a formal sense meaning capable of, as in susceptible of proof. It says nothing about weakness of character: susceptible to infection is about the immune system.
1adjectivesusceptibleEasily influenced or harmed by something.
“Young children are more susceptible to colds and flu.”
susceptible is a quality.
Latin susceptibilis comes from suscipere, to take up — sub, under, plus capere, to take.
Proto-Indo-European
*keh₂p-
Latin
susceptibilis
English, today
susceptible
From Latin susceptibilis, from Latin susceptus, from suscipiō.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA