defail

D2E1F4A1I1L1

verb

To fail, or cause to fail.

OriginFrench défaillir ← Latin de →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

verbdefail (third-person singular simple present defails, present participle defailing, simple past and past participle defailed)

present singular third person defails · participle present defailing · participle past defailed · past defailed

  1. obsoleteTo fail, or cause to fail.

Origin

  1. Latinde
  2. Frenchdéfaillir
  3. Englishdefail

French défaillir to fail; prefix dé- (Latin de) + faillir. See fail, and compare default.

More words from French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

failedafielddefial
Cite this entry
APA

defail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defail

MLA

“defail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defail. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “defail,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defail.

Source: defail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.