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Fault
Definitions
- 1 Culpability; the responsibility for a blameworthy event.
"No, don't blame yourself. It's my fault that we lost the game."
- 2 a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention wordnet
- 3 A defect, imperfection, or weakness; more severe than a flaw.; A failing of character; less severe than a vice.
"Despite all her faults, she’s a good person at heart."
- 4 (sports) a serve that is illegal (e.g., that lands outside the prescribed area) wordnet
- 5 A defect, imperfection, or weakness; more severe than a flaw.; A characteristic, positive or negative or both, which increases one's risk of danger or difficulty.
"You're still young, that's your fault."
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 responsibility for a bad situation or event wordnet
- 7 A defect, imperfection, or weakness; more severe than a flaw.; A strongly undesirable variation of food or drink caused by impurity or contamination.
"Cork taint is one of the most recognizable wine faults."
- 8 the quality of being inadequate or falling short of perfection wordnet
- 9 A defect, imperfection, or weakness; more severe than a flaw.; A point of weakness in something's physical structure. obsolete
"As patches set upon a little breach / Discredit more in hiding of the fault."
- 10 (electronics) equipment failure attributable to some defect in a circuit (loose connection or insulation failure or short circuit etc.) wordnet
- 11 A mistake or error.; A minor offense.
- 12 (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other wordnet
- 13 A mistake or error.; An illegal serve.
"It is a fault if the ball served drop in the net, or beyond the Service-Line, or if it drop out of Court, or in the wrong Court. A fault may not be taken. After a fault, the Server shall serve again from the same Court from which he served that fault."
- 14 an imperfection in an object or machine wordnet
- 15 A mistake or error.; A penalty point assessed in horseback events such as show jumping.
"If the horse refuses an obstacle, the rider will receive four faults."
- 16 A mistake or error.; An exception within a software program or process.
- 17 A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected.; A fracture in a rock formation causing a discontinuity.
"That might explain why the last three major earthquakes occurred not at San Andreas faults, where it would seem natural to expect them, but in both adjacent fault groups."
- 18 A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected.; An abnormal connection within an electric circuit.
- 19 A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected.; A loss of the scent being tracked by a hound.
"Ceasing their clamorous cry till they have singled, / With much ado, the cold fault clearly out."
- 20 A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected.; An intrusion of another material, such as dirt or slate, within a coal seam.
- 21 want; lack; absence obsolete
"one, it pleases me, for fault of a better, to call my friend"
- 1 To criticize, blame or find fault with something or someone. transitive
"For that, says he, I ne'er will fault thee / But for humbleness exalt thee."
- 2 put or pin the blame on wordnet
- 3 To fracture. intransitive
- 4 To commit a mistake or error. intransitive
- 5 To undergo a page fault. intransitive
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.
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.
See also for "fault"
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