FAULT

I. noun Etymology: Middle English faute, falte, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *fallita, from feminine of fallitus, past participle of Latin fallere to deceive, disappoint Date: 13th century lack , 2. weakness , failing , a physical or intellectual imperfection or impairment ; defect , an error especially in service in a net or racket game, 3. misdemeanor , mistake , responsibility for wrongdoing or failure , a fracture in the crust of a planet (as the earth) or moon accompanied by a displacement of one side of the fracture with respect to the other usually in a direction parallel to the fracture, Synonyms: see: ~ II. verb Date: 15th century intransitive verb to commit a ~ ; err , to fracture so as to produce a geologic ~, transitive verb to find a ~ in , to produce a geologic ~ in, blame , censure