different between fault vs trespass

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: tr?s'p?s, IPA^(key): /?t??sp?s/
• (US) enPR: tr?s'p?s, IPA^(key): /?t??spæs/

Etymology 1

Borrowed into Middle English from Old French trespas (“passage; offense against the law”), from trespasser.

Noun

trespass (countable and uncountable, plural trespasses)

1. (law) An intentional interference with another's property or person.
2. (archaic) sin

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Old French trespasser (“to go across or over, transgress”), from tres- (“across, over”) + passer (“to pass”).

Verb

trespass (third-person singular simple present trespasses, present participle trespassing, simple past and past participle trespassed)

1. (intransitive, now rare) To commit an offence; to sin.

   Synonym: transgress

   • In the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord.

2. (transitive, obsolete) To offend against, to wrong (someone).
   • 1526, Bible, tr. William Tyndale, Matthew 6:14

     And forgeve us oure trespases, even as we forgeve them which trespas us.

3. (intransitive) To go too far; to put someone to inconvenience by demand or importunity; to intrude.

   Synonym: cross the line

   • 1813 — Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.

     "Indeed I have, sir," was her answer. "She is a great deal too ill to be moved. Mr. Jones says we must not think of moving her. We must trespass a little longer on your kindness."

4. (law) To enter someone else's property illegally.
5. (obsolete) To pass beyond a limit or boundary; hence, to depart; to go.

   Synonyms: exceed, surpass, transcend

   • 1523–1525, Jean Froissart, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners (translator), Froissart's Chronicles

     Soon after this, noble Robert de Bruce […] trespassed out of this uncertain world.

6. (transitive) To decree that a person shall be arrested for trespassing if he or she returns to someone else's land.

Derived terms

• trespasser

Translations

Further reading

• trespass in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• trespass in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• trespass at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “trespass”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

Anagrams

• pastress, sparsest