The story
- French · derived fromdérailler“to go off the rails”
- English todayderail
From French dérailler (“to go off the rails”). Analyzable as de- + rail.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
derail
Today it means: Synonym of derailer: A device placed on railway tracks in order to cause a train to derail. Full definition →
French dérailler