force majeure
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force majeure
- /ˌfɔːs mæˈʒɜː/ UK
- /-mə-/ UK
- /ˌfoɹs mɑˈʒɜɹ/ US
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)
Where it comes from
PIE word
*méǵh₂s
Borrowed from French force majeure (“an exceptionally strong or superior force; (law) an unavoidable circumstance that prevents someone from fulfilling a legal obligation”), from force (“a force”) (ultimately from Latin fortis (“powerful, strong”)) + majeure (the feminine singular of majeur (“of great importance, major”), ultimately from Latin maior (“greater; large”),).
noun forces majeures
- An overwhelming force. They [children] realize their oughts no less sharply than their crosses; and this even though they are midgets in a land of giants who have forgotten much of their language and whose right is often founded solely on force majeure.
- An unavoidable circumstance, especially one that prevents someone from fulfilling a legal (usually contractual) obligation. Brazil's largest trader of sugar and ethanol declared force majeure to some third party exporters of sugar with contracts to ship through its Santos Port terminal that burned down on Friday, sources in the sugar trade said.
Translations
Every language
noun overwhelming force
| 한국어 | 불가항력 bulgahangnyeok |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 不可抗力 fukakōryoku |
| 中文 | 不可抗力 bùkěkànglì |
| Português | força maior |
| Français | force majeure |
| Русский | непреодоли́мая си́ла nepreodolímaja síla |
noun (law) unavoidable circumstance
| Español | fuerza mayor, caso fortuito |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 불가항력 bulgahangnyeok |
| 日本語 | 不可抗力 fukakōryoku |
| 中文 | 不可抗力 bùkěkànglì |
| Português | força maior |
| Français | force majeure, cas fortuit |
| Deutsch | höhere Gewalt |
| Italiano | forza maggiore, caso fortuito |
| Ελληνικά | ανωτέρα βία anotéra vía |
| Русский | форс-мажо́р fors-mažór |
| Tiếng Việt | bất khả kháng |
| العربية | قوة قاهرة |
| עברית | כוח עליון |
Talk about this word "force majeure." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/force%20majeure. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. force majeure. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/force%20majeure "force majeure." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/force%20majeure.Cite this
@misc{force_majeure_2026,
title = {force majeure},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/force%20majeure},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
