failure

 
Pronunciation: /ˈfeɪljə/

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1lack of success: an economic policy that is doomed to failure
  • [count noun] an unsuccessful person or thing: bad weather had resulted in crop failures
  • 2the neglect or omission of expected or required action: their failure to comply with the basic rules
  • [count noun] a lack or deficiency of a desirable quality: a failure of imagination
  • 3the action or state of not functioning: symptoms of heart failure [count noun]: a chance engine failure
  • [count noun] a sudden cessation of power: a sudden power failure
  • [count noun] the collapse of a business: business failures rose by 53%

Origin:

mid 17th century (originally as failer, in the senses 'non-occurrence' and 'cessation of supply'): from Anglo-Norman French failer for Old French faillir (see fail)