fault
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
fault
- /fɔːlt/ UK
- /fɒlt/ UK
- /fɔlt/ US
- /fɑlt/ cot caught merger
- [fɒːlt] Canada
Rhymes with -ɔːlt, -ɒlt
Where it comes from
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.
noun faults
- Culpability; the responsibility for a blameworthy event. No, don't blame yourself. It's my fault that we lost the game.
- A failing of character; less severe than a vice. Despite all her faults, she’s a good person at heart.
- A characteristic, positive or negative or both, which increases one's risk of danger or difficulty. You're still young, that's your fault.
- A strongly undesirable variation of food or drink caused by impurity or contamination. Cork taint is one of the most recognizable wine faults.
- A point of weakness in something's physical structure. As patches set upon a little breach / Discredit more in hiding of the fault.
- A minor offense.
- 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.
- A penalty point assessed in horseback events such as show jumping. If the horse refuses an obstacle, the rider will receive four faults.
- An exception within a software program or process.
- 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.
- An abnormal connection within an electric circuit.
- 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.
- An intrusion of another material, such as dirt or slate, within a coal seam.
- want; lack; absence one, it pleases me, for fault of a better, to call my friend
verb faults · faulting · faulted
- To criticize, blame or find fault with something or someone. For that, says he, I ne'er will fault thee / But for humbleness exalt thee.
- To fracture.
- To commit a mistake or error.
- To undergo a page fault.
