fault
UK /fɔːlt/ · US /fɔlt/ noun, verb
Forms faults faulting faulted
- noun (typically uncountable) Culpability; the responsibility for a blameworthy event. “No, don't blame yourself. It's my fault that we lost the game.”
- noun (morality) A failing of character; less severe than a vice. “Despite all her faults, she’s a good person at heart.”
- noun A characteristic, positive or negative or both, which increases one's risk of danger or difficulty. “You're still young, that's your fault.”
- noun A strongly undesirable variation of food or drink caused by impurity or contamination. “Cork taint is one of the most recognizable wine faults.”
- noun (obsolete) A point of weakness in something's physical structure.
- noun A minor offense.
- noun (tennis) An illegal serve.
- noun (equestrianism) A penalty point assessed in horseback events such as show jumping. “If the horse refuses an obstacle, the rider will receive four faults.”
- verb (transitive) To criticize, blame or find fault with something or someone.
- verb (intransitive, geology) To fracture.
- verb (intransitive) To commit a mistake or error.
- verb (intransitive, computing) To undergo a page fault.
Synonyms
vulnerability accuse admonish put the blame on animadvert bash bawl out tilt cannonade slash lash blame scorch blast berate berisp castigate censure charge chastise mistake error defect flaw demerit faulting geological fault shift fracture break
Etymology
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.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Defect; want; lack; default.
- noun Anything that fails, that is wanting, or that impairs excellence; a failing; a defect; a blemish.
- verb To charge with a fault; to accuse; to find fault with; to blame.
- verb To interrupt the continuity of (rock strata) by displacement along a plane of fracture; --chiefly used in the p.p.; as, the coal beds are badly faulted.
Etymology [OE. faut, faute, F. faute (cf. It., Sp., & Pg. falta), fr. a verb meaning to want, fail, freq., fr. L. fallere to deceive. See Fail, and cf. Default.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “fault”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details