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"failure" in seven languages

Meaningfailure

Spanish

fracaso

/fɾaˈkaso/

masc.other source · fracasar 'to fail', probably from Italian fracassare 'to smash'

French

échec

/eʃɛk/

masc.other source · the chess call échec 'check', ultimately Persian shāh 'king'

Italian

fallimento

/falliˈmento/

masc.inherited

Built on fallire 'to fail'; in business it means 'bankruptcy'.

Portuguese

fracasso

/fɾaˈkasu/

masc.other source · Italian fracasso 'crash' (fracassare 'to smash')

Romanian

eșec

/eˈʃek/

neut.other source · French échec 'check (in chess)', ultimately Persian shāh 'king'

Catalan

fracàs

/fɾəˈkas/

masc.other source · Italian fracasso 'crash' (fracassare 'to smash')

English

failure

/ˈfeɪljɚ/

from Latin/French · Anglo-French failer 'to fail', used as a noun

English → ItalianfailurefallimentoCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

FALLERE‘to deceive, to let down’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

English and Italian fail from FALLERE 'to let down'. Spanish smashes (fracaso) and French is put in check: the same échec as in échec et mat 'checkmate'.

English relatives: fail, fault, false, fallible

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In a sentence

  • esEl proyecto fue un fracaso total.
  • frLe projet a été un échec complet.
  • itIl progetto è stato un fallimento totale.
  • ptO projeto foi um fracasso total.
  • roProiectul a fost un eșec total.
  • caEl projecte va ser un fracàs total.
  • enThe project was a complete failure.

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