different between fault vs blunder

English

Etymology

From Middle English faute, faulte, from Anglo-Norman faute, Old French faute, from Vulgar Latin *fallita (“shortcoming”), feminine of *fallitus, in place of Latin falsus, perfect passive participle of fall? (“deceive”). Displaced native Middle English schuld, schuild (“fault”) (from Old English scyld (“fault”)), Middle English lac (“fault, lack”) (from Middle Dutch lak (“lack, fault”)), Middle English last (“fault, vice”) (from Old Norse l?str (“fault, vice, crime”)). Compare French faute (“fault, foul”), Portuguese falta (“lack, shortage”) and Spanish falta (“lack, absence”). More at fail, false.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /f??lt/, /f?lt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /f?lt/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /f?lt/
• Rhymes: -??lt

Noun

fault (plural faults)

1. A defect; something that detracts from perfection.
2. A mistake or error.

3. A weakness of character; a failing.

4. A minor offense.
5. Blame; the responsibility for a mistake.
6. (seismology) A fracture in a rock formation causing a discontinuity.
7. (mining) In coal seams, coal rendered worthless by impurities in the seam.

8. (tennis) An illegal serve.
9. (electrical) An abnormal connection in a circuit.
10. (obsolete) want; lack
11. (hunting) A lost scent; act of losing the scent.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:defect

Hyponyms

(seismology):

• normal fault
• reverse fault
• strike-slip fault
• thrust fault
• transform fault

Derived terms

Related terms

• default

Translations

Verb

fault (third-person singular simple present faults, present participle faulting, simple past and past participle faulted)

1. (transitive) To criticize, blame or find fault with something or someone.
   • a. 1723, unknown author, The Devonshire Nymph

     For that, says he, I ne'er will fault thee / But for humbleness exalt thee.

2. (intransitive, geology) To fracture.
3. (intransitive) To commit a mistake or error.
4. (intransitive, computing) To undergo a page fault.
   • 2002, Æleen Frisch, Essential system administration

     When a page is read in, a few pages surrounding the faulted page are typically loaded as well in the same I/O operation in an effort to head off future page faults.

Translations

References

French

Verb

fault

1. Obsolete spelling of faut (third-person singular present indicative of falloir)

German

Verb

fault

1. inflection of faulen:
   1. second-person plural present
   2. third-person singular present
   3. plural imperative

English

Etymology

From Middle English blunder, blonder (“disturbance, strife”), from Middle English blundren, blondren (verb), which itself is partly from Middle English blondren, a frequentative form of Middle English blonden, blanden ("to mix; mix up"; corresponding to blend +? -er); and partly from Middle English blundren, a frequentative form of Middle English blunden (“to stagger; stumble”), from Old Norse blunda (“to shut the eyes; doze”).

Cognates include Norwegian blunda (“to shut the eyes; doze”), dialectal Swedish blundra (“to act blindly or rashly”), Danish blunde (“to blink”) or blunde (“to take a nap”). Related to English blind.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?bl?n.d?(?)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?bl?n.d?/
• Rhymes: -?nd?(?)

Noun

blunder (plural blunders)

1. A clumsy or embarrassing mistake.
2. (chess) A very bad move, usually caused by some tactical oversight.

Synonyms

• (error): blooper, goof, see also Thesaurus:error

Derived terms

• blunderfest
• blundersome

Descendants

• ? Dutch: blunder
• ? Swedish: blunder

Translations

Verb

blunder (third-person singular simple present blunders, present participle blundering, simple past and past participle blundered)

1. (intransitive) To make a clumsy or stupid mistake.

2. (intransitive) To move blindly or clumsily.
   • October 6, 1759, Oliver Goldsmith, The Bee No. 1

     I was never distinguished for address, and have often even blundered in making my bow.

   • blunders on, and staggers every pace

3. (transitive) To cause to make a mistake.
   • 1714, Humphry Ditton, A discourse concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ

     To blunder an adversary.

4. (transitive) To do or treat in a blundering manner; to confuse.
   • 1676, Edward Stillingfleet, A Defence of the Discourse Concerning the Idolatry Practised in the Church of Rome

     He blunders and confounds all these together.

Translations

Anagrams

• Ledburn, bundler

Danish

Verb

blunder

1. present of blunde

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b?n.d?r/
• Hyphenation: blun?der
• Rhymes: -?nd?r

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English blunder, from Middle English blonder, blundur (“disturbance, strife”), from Old Norse blunda (“to shut the eyes”). Related to blind.

Noun

blunder m (plural blunders, diminutive blundertje n)

1. A blunder, serious error or mistake.

Related terms

• blunderen

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

blunder

1. first-person singular present indicative of blunderen
2. imperative of blunderen

Anagrams

• brulden

Swedish

Etymology

From English blunder.

Noun

blunder c

1. blunder; clumsy mistake

Declension

Further reading

• blunder in Svensk ordbok.