Etymology

defeat

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Today it means: To overcome in battle or contest. Full definition →

Middle English defeten
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defeat · verb1

  1. Middle English · derived fromdefet“disfigured”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromdefeten
  3. English todaydefeat

From Middle English defeten, from Middle English defet (“disfigured”, past participle) and defet (“defect”, noun), see Etymology 2 below.

defeat · noun2

  1. French · derived fromdeffet
  2. Middle English · inherited fromdefet
  3. English todaydefeat

From Middle English defet, from French deffet, desfait, past participle of the verb desfaire (compare modern French défaire), from des- + faire.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.