Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “failing” come from?

Failing derives from Middle English failen, from Anglo-Norman faillir, from Vulgar Latin fallire, from Latin fallo meaning to deceive or cause to fall short.

failing (English): present participle of fail; weakness; defect; if...

Definitions

  1. present participle of fail; weakness; defect; if...

Ancestry of “failing”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfailTo be unsuccessful; Not to achieve a particular...
2Middle Englishfailen—
3Anglo-Normanfailliralternative infinitive of falir; to fail, err
4Vulgar Latinfallire—
5Latinfallō—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰwel-to bend; to lie, deceive

Words derived from “failing”

  • unfailing
  • unfailingly
  • nonfailing
  • failingly
  • unfailingness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰwel- →