fault
UK: fɔːlt | US: fɔːlt
n. 1. A defect or imperfection; a flaw.
n. 2. Responsibility for a mistake or wrongdoing.
n. 3. (Geology) A crack or fracture in the Earth's crust.
vt. 1. To criticize or blame someone for a mistake.
The word "fault" originates from Old French faute, meaning "deficiency" or "failure," derived from Latin fallita ("a failure, deceit"), the feminine past participle of fallere ("to deceive, disappoint"). The term evolved in Middle English to denote both moral blame and physical flaws, later extending to geological fractures in the 19th century. The morpheme fault retains its core idea of "failure" across meanings.
The engineer discovered a fault in the machine's design.
It was my fault for forgetting the appointment.
The San Andreas Fault is a well-known tectonic boundary.
She faulted him for his lack of attention to detail.
Despite its faults, the novel remains a classic.