Faults

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /fɔːlts/

Definitions

1. Mistakes or shortcomings in conduct or reasoning
2. Deficiencies or irregularities that detract from effectiveness or reliability
3. Errors or weaknesses in one's behavior or decisions ; physical defects or flaws that reduce the quality or performance of something

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "faults" is that the word for a mistake once meant a lack. Its ancestor is Latin "fallere," to deceive, and the Vulgar Latin "fallita" was a shortcoming or failing, a sense that comes from being found wanting rather than from wrongdoing. Old French "faute" carried that idea into Anglo-Norman and then Middle English as "faute" and "faulte," so a fault was first something missing or short of what it should be. English already had several native words for the same idea, including "schuld" (from Old English "scyld"), "lac" from Middle Dutch "lak," and "last" from Old Norse "lǫstr." The French borrowing pushed most of these aside, and "fault" ended up the standard term. Its neighbours in other languages show the same pattern: French "faute" can mean "fault" or "foul," and Spanish "falta" and Portuguese "falta" mean "lack" or "absence."

Synonyms: defects, flaws, shortcomings

Antonyms: perfections, virtues