Where does “fail” come from?
Fail comes from Middle English failen, from Anglo-Norman faillir, from Vulgar Latin fallire, from Latin fallo, ultimately from Proto-Italic falsō.
fail (English): To be unsuccessful; Not to achieve a particular...
Definitions
- To be unsuccessful; Not to achieve a particular...
Ancestry of “fail”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | failen | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | faillir | alternative infinitive of falir; to fail, err |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | fallire | — |
| 4 | Latin | fallō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰwel- | to bend; to lie, deceive |
Words derived from “fail”