Wordwyrt

default

/dɪˈfɔːlt/dih-FAWLT
/dɪˈfɔlt/dih-FAWLT

Meaninga failing

Common meaning: failure to pay or act

Other meanings: the setting used if none is chosen

‘down, away, off’ + ‘to deceive’ → default

Journey through time

  1. Latinfallō, fefellī, falsum‘to deceive’
  2. Frenchdeffaute
  3. Middle Englishdefautesource
  4. Englishdefault‘failure to pay or act’ · today

de- also in: deterdecampdecidededucedefame

fault also in: faultfailfalsefallacy

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin fallō ‘to deceive’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry fallō, p. 721 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

failfallacyfalsefault

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app