fault
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle English faute, faulte, from Anglo-Norman faute, Old French faute, from Vulgar Latin *fallita (“shortcoming”), feminine of *fallitus, in place of Latin falsus, perfect passive participle of fallō (“deceive”). Displaced native Middle English schuld, schuild (“fault”) (from Old English scyld (“fault”)), Middle English lac (“fault, lack”) (from Middle Dutch lak (“lack, fault”)), Middle English last (“fault, vice”) (from Old Norse lǫstr (“fault, vice, crime”)). Compare French faute (“fault, foul”), Portuguese falta (“lack, shortage”) and Spanish falta (“lack, absence”). More at fail, false.
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /fɔːlt/, /fɒlt/
Audio (UK) (file) - (US) IPA(key): /fɔlt/
Audio (US) (file) - (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /fɑlt/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɔːlt
NounEdit
fault (plural faults)
- A defect; something that detracts from perfection.
- c. 1596, William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene ii]:
- As patches set upon a little breach / Discredit more in hiding of the fault.
- A mistake or error.
- No! This is my fault, not yours.
- A weakness of character; a failing.
- For all her faults, she’s a good person at heart.
- A minor offense.
- Blame; the responsibility for a mistake.
- The fault lies with you.
- 2018 June 5, Jonah Engel Bromwich; Vanessa Friedman; Matthew Schneier, “Kate Spade, whose handbags carried women into adulthood, is dead at 55”, in The New York Times[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, ISSN 0362-4331, OCLC 971436363:
- A police official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that a note found at the scene addressed to Ms. [Kate] Spade's 13-year-old daughter indicated, among other things, that what had happened was not the child’s fault.
- (seismology) A fracture in a rock formation causing a discontinuity.
- (mining) In coal seams, coal rendered worthless by impurities in the seam.
- slate fault dirt fault
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Raymond to this entry?)
- (tennis) An illegal serve.
- (electrical) An abnormal connection in a circuit.
- (obsolete) want; lack
- c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The Merry VViues of VVindsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene iv]:
- one, it pleases me, for fault of a better, to call my friend
- (hunting) A lost scent; act of losing the scent.
SynonymsEdit
- See also Thesaurus:defect
Derived termsEdit
Terms derived from fault (noun)
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
defect
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mistake or error
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minor offense
blame; responsibility for a mistake
geology fracture in rock
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mining: worthless seam
tennis: illegal serve
VerbEdit
fault (third-person singular simple present faults, present participle faulting, simple past and past participle faulted)
- (transitive) To criticize, blame or find fault with something or someone.
- (Can we date this quote by Traditional song and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)
- For that I will not fault thee / But for humbleness exalt thee.
- (Can we date this quote by Traditional song and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)
- (intransitive, geology) To fracture.
- (intransitive) To commit a mistake or error.
- (intransitive, computing) To undergo a page fault.
- 2002, Æleen Frisch, Essential system administration
- When a page is read in, a few pages surrounding the faulted page are typically loaded as well in the same I/O operation in an effort to head off future page faults.
- 2002, Æleen Frisch, Essential system administration
TranslationsEdit
to criticize, blame or find fault with something or someone
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to fracture
to commit a mistake or error
to undergo a page fault
FrenchEdit
VerbEdit
fault
- Obsolete spelling of faut (third-person singular present indicative of falloir)
GermanEdit
VerbEdit
fault