FAULT
What does "FAULT" mean?
A defect or imperfection, or responsibility for something wrong.
Meanings
- Responsibility for an error or wrongdoing. The collision was entirely the driver's fault.
- A defect, flaw, or imperfection. The diamond had a tiny fault near its base.
- A fracture in rock where blocks of the Earth's crust have moved relative to each other. The San Andreas Fault runs hundreds of miles through California. technical
- In tennis, a serve that fails to land in the correct area. A double fault handed her opponent the point. technical
- To criticize or find error in. You can't fault her for trying so hard.
Did you know?
- The 'l' in 'fault' is a learned forgery: medieval scholars added it to make the word look more like its Latin ancestor 'fallere', and for centuries the letter sat there completely silent before people started actually saying it.
Word origin
From Latin 'fallere' meaning 'to deceive or fail', via Old French 'faute'; the silent then re-spoken 'l' was added later to mirror the Latin, which is why pronunciation has wandered over the centuries.
Remember it
FAULT hides 'vault' minus the V - an earthquake fault is where the ground vaults past itself.
A little poem
Deep in the rock a seam holds still-
a century of patient will,
then one bright morning, has its fill.
tercet
Wordplay
- The geologist apologized for the earthquake. He said it really wasn't his fault - but it was definitely a fault.
What it teaches
Pressure that has nowhere to go does not vanish; it waits underground for the day it can move.
Quick facts
What does FAULT mean?
A defect or imperfection, or responsibility for something wrong.
Is FAULT a valid word?
Yes — FAULT is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is FAULT?
FAULT has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does FAULT come from?
From Latin 'fallere' meaning 'to deceive or fail', via Old French 'faute'; the silent then re-spoken 'l' was added later to mirror the Latin, which is why pronunciation has wandered over the centuries.
What can FAULT teach us?
Pressure that has nowhere to go does not vanish; it waits underground for the day it can move.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.