Wordul · all words

adjective · 2 syllables · /'feɪ.təl/

FATAL

What does "FATAL" mean?

Causing or capable of causing death.

Meanings

  1. Resulting in death. The accident on the highway proved fatal.
  2. Leading to ruin, failure, or disaster. Underestimating the rival was a fatal mistake.
  3. Decisively important; determined by fate or destiny. It was the fatal hour that sealed the kingdom's collapse. archaic

Did you know?

  • 'Fatal' literally means 'spoken by the gods': its Latin root 'fatum' comes from 'fari', 'to speak', the same source that gives us 'fate' and even 'fame'.

Word origin

From Latin 'fatalis', 'decreed by fate', from 'fatum' meaning 'fate' or literally 'that which is spoken' (by the gods); the deadly sense grew out of the idea of a doom appointed in advance.

A little poem

One small step taken half a beat too late-
and 'mistake' quietly grew up into 'fate'.

couplet

What it teaches

The smallest mistake earns the largest name when it happens to be the last one you make.

Quick facts

What does FATAL mean?

Causing or capable of causing death.

Is FATAL a valid word?

Yes — FATAL is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is FATAL?

FATAL has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does FATAL come from?

From Latin 'fatalis', 'decreed by fate', from 'fatum' meaning 'fate' or literally 'that which is spoken' (by the gods); the deadly sense grew out of the idea of a doom appointed in advance.

What can FATAL teach us?

The smallest mistake earns the largest name when it happens to be the last one you make.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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