Unachievements

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The absence of success or accomplishment in a given context
2. instances where goals are not met or milestones are missed
3. a state characterized by a lack of noteworthy progress or outcomes

Etymology: The word is built from two parts. The prefix "un-" is an Old English negation, and it attaches freely to many English words to reverse or negate them. The base, "achievement," is more surprising. In Middle English and Anglo-French it first belonged to heraldry, where an "achievement" was the complete armorial display of a knight, with shield, helmet, crest and mantling. The sense of a completed deed came later and grew out of the same idea of bringing something to a finish, from the Old French "achever," "to bring to a head." Because of that, "unachievement" is a rare formation, not a term with a long standing record. It follows the regular pattern of "un-" plus noun, so its meaning is transparent, though it is far less common than related words such as "failure" or "underachievement." Its use is mostly confined to deliberate or playful writing.