Wordwyrt

fail

/ˈfeɪl/FAYL
/ˈfeɪl/FAYL

Meaningto deceive; to fall short

Common meaning: to be unsuccessful

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√SPAL‘stumble, to fall’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 443, p. 746 · scan
  2. Latinfallō, fefellī, falsum‘to deceive’
  3. Frenchfaillir
  4. Englishmeaning shiftsto deceive → to be unsuccessfulfail‘to be unsuccessful’ · today

fail also in: falsefaultdefaultfallacy

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

defaultfallacyfalsefault

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