I. ˈflȯ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English flaw, flawe, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish flaga flaw, flake, Old Norse flaga slab; akin to Old English flēan to skin — more at flay
1. obsolete : flake , fragment , bit
this heart shall break into a hundred thousand flaws — Shakespeare
2. : a faulty part : crack , breach , gap , fissure
a flaw in a gem or a vase
a flaw in a bar of steel
3. : a fault or defect especially in a character or a piece of work
the greatest flaw in his plan was failure to anticipate costs
a complexion without a flaw
especially : a fault in a legal paper that may nullify it
a flaw in a will
found a flaw in the statute
4. Scotland : lie , fib
5. chiefly Scotland : a thin layer of turf or peat
6. : a nearly vertical geological fault transverse to the strike of the rocks and characterized by horizontal displacement
Synonyms: see blemish
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. : to make flaws in : crack
a flawed diamond
the brazen caldrons with the frosts are flawed — John Dryden
2. : to make a breach or defect in : violate , nullify
flaw an agreement
France hath flawed the league — Shakespeare
intransitive verb
: to become defective : crack , break
pavements warping and flawing in the heat
columns of smoke that … flawed suddenly in the canyon wind — W.V.T.Clark
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian flaga gust, squall; akin to Middle High German & Middle Low German vlage gust, attack, Lithuanian plakti to beat, Latin plangere to beat — more at plaint
1. : a sudden burst of wind of short duration with or without rain or snow
the wind changed with flaws from westward — Archibald MacLeish
also : a spell of stormy weather
2. obsolete : an outburst especially of passion or anger : a sudden tumult or disorder