fault

• n. 故障；[地质] 断层；错误；缺点；毛病；（网球等）发球失误
• vi. 弄错；产生断层
• vt. （通常用于疑问句或否定句）挑剔

来自拉丁语falsus, 欺骗，伪装，词源同fail, false. 引申词义(隐瞒)缺陷，(隐瞒)过错，缺陷，过错。

1. responsibility for a bad situation or event;

"it was John's fault"

2. (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other;

"they built it right over a geological fault"

3. the quality of being inadequate or falling short of perfection;

"they discussed the merits and demerits of her novel"

"he knew his own faults much better than she did"

4. a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention;

"he made a bad mistake"

"she was quick to point out my errors"

"I could understand his English in spite of his grammatical faults"

5. an imperfection in a device or machine;

"if there are any defects you should send it back to the manufacturer"

6. (sports) a serve that is illegal (e.g., that lands outside the prescribed area);

"he served too many double faults"

7. (electronics) equipment failure attributable to some defect in a circuit (loose connection or insulation failure or short circuit etc.);

"it took much longer to find the fault than to fix it"

fault

fault: [13] Like fail, fallacy, fallible, and false, fault comes ultimately from Latin fallere ‘deceive, fail’. Its past participle formed the basis of a Vulgar Latin noun *fallita ‘failing, falling short’, which passed into English via Old French faute in the sense ‘lack, deficiency’. The notion of ‘moral culpability’ does not seem to have become incorporated into the word until the late 14th century.
=> fail, fallacy, fallible, false

fault (n.)

late 13c., faute, "deficiency," from Old French faute, earlier falte, "opening, gap; failure, flaw, blemish; lack, deficiency" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *fallita "a shortcoming, falling," from Latin falsus "deceptive, feigned, spurious," past participle of fallere "deceive, disappoint" (see fail (v.)).

The -l- was restored 16c., probably in imitation of Latin, but the letter was silent until 18c. Sense of "physical defect" is from early 14c.; that of "moral culpability" (milder than sin or vice, but more serious than an error) is first recorded late 14c. Geological sense is from 1796. The use in tennis (c. 1600) is closer to the etymological sense.

fault (v.)

"find fault with," mid-15c. from fault (n.). Earlier it was used in an intransitive sense of "be deficient" (late 14c., Scottish). Related: Faulted; faulter; faulting.

error, fault, blunder, flaw, mistake, shortcoming, defect, slip

这些名词均有"错误"或"缺点"之意。

error： 指思想或行动背离正题轨道或没有得到正确指引而出现的偏差或错误。

fault： 一般指小并且可宽容的缺点、错误。

blunder： 通常指由于无知或情况不明造成判断或行动上的大错。

flaw： 指结构或组织上的缺点，如破裂之处。用作比喻意义时，指品格上的缺陷。

mistake： 最普通用词，泛指思想上、行为上或认识上的判断或理解方面的错误。

shortcoming： 指没有达到所要求的标准、没有充分发展或没尽到职责的不足、缺点或短处。多用复数形式。

defect： 普通用词。指表面上的缺陷，或指人或物本质上的缺点。

slip： 指因疏忽或无意而造成的差错。

But perhaps Plutarch is suggesting something slightly different, something a bit closer to Marcus Cicero's claim that one should criticize by creation, not by finding fault.

出自-2015年12月阅读原文

If you tell your dim friend that he has the potential of an Einstein, you're just underlining his faults.

出自-2010年6月阅读原文

You are trying to make him feel better about his faults

出自-2010年6月阅读原文

But perhaps Plutarch is suggesting something slightly different, something a bit closer to Marcus Cicero's claim that one should "criticize by creation, not by finding fault."

2015年12月四级真题（第二套）阅读 Section B

And while you may forgive your smartphone an occasional fault, you probably have less patience for error messages from your door lock.

出自-2016年12月阅读原文

Part of the fault lies with our inner caveman.

出自-2015年12月阅读原文

If they fail, it's their fault.

出自-2011年6月阅读原文

Assuming that your teacher is neither biased nor corrupt and that her system conforms to school rules, you can't fault her ethics.

出自-2010年6月阅读原文

He is always finding fault with Marsha.

出自-2013年12月听力原文

They often find fault with it.

出自-2011年12月听力原文

But Elop was not the only person at fault.

2015年12月六级真题（第三套）阅读 Section A

But it's really all our own fault.

2016年12月六级真题（第一套）听力 Section A

But what if the fault that runs along the Pacific Northwest delivers a gigantic earthquake of its own?

2019年12月六级真题（第一套）阅读 Section C

California has spent years preparing for "The Big One"—the inevitable earthquake that will undoubtedly unleash all kinds of havoc along the famous San Andreas fault (断层).

2019年12月六级真题（第一套）阅读 Section C

Cascadia is what's known as a "megathrust" fault.

2019年12月六级真题（第一套）阅读 Section C

Experts who monitor unemployment statistics here in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, say about 28, 000 people are unemployed, and many of them are jobless due to no fault of their own.

2016年6月六级真题（第一套）听力 Section C

The Cascadia Earthquake Zone is big enough to compete with San Andreas it's been called the most dangerous fault in Americ, but it's much lesser known than its California cousin.

2019年12月六级真题（第一套）阅读 Section C

The last time a major earthquake occurred along the Cascadia fault was in 1700, so officials worry that another event could occur any time.

2019年12月六级真题（第一套）阅读 Section C

However, life can be great when you are not busy finding fault with it.

2015年高考英语福建卷 完形填空 原文

It wasn't until her friend was badly hurt that kerry became aware of her habit of finding fault.

2015年高考英语福建卷 完形填空 原文

One of the easiest things in the world is to become a fault-finder.

2015年高考英语福建卷 完形填空 原文

Perhaps most of us aren't as extreme at fault-finding, but when we're honest, we can be sharply critical of the world.

2015年高考英语福建卷 完形填空 原文

Several years ago I received a letter from seventeen-year-old kerry, who described herself as a world-class fault-finder, almost always bothered by things.

2015年高考英语福建卷 完形填空 原文

She was highly self-critical and also found fault with her friends.

2015年高考英语福建卷 完形填空 原文

The book's virtues far outweigh its faults.

这本书优点远远大于缺失。

牛津词典

The system, for all its faults , is the best available at the moment.

这个系统虽然缺点不少，却是现有最好的一个。

牛津词典

a major fault in the design

设计中的一个重大失误

牛津词典

a structural fault

结构缺陷

牛津词典

an electrical fault

电路故障

牛津词典

He has served a number of double faults in this set.

他在这盘发球出现了一些双误。

牛津词典

the San Andreas fault

圣安德烈亚斯断层

牛津词典

a fault line

断层线

牛津词典

She is generous to a fault.

她过分慷慨。

牛津词典

I love her for all her faults (= in spite of them) .

尽管她有这么多缺点，我还是爱她。

牛津词典

It's your own fault for being careless.

你粗心大意是你自己的过失。

牛津词典

Many people live in poverty through no fault of their own .

很多人生活贫困并非他们自己有什么过错。

牛津词典

I think the owners are at fault (= responsible) for not warning us.

我认为业主没有提醒我们是有责任的。

牛津词典

He's proud of his children and blind to their faults.

他为孩子们感到自豪，对他们的缺点视而不见。

牛津词典

It was his fault that we were late.

我们迟到责任在他。

牛津词典

Why should I say sorry when it's not my fault ?

不是我的错为什么要我道歉？

牛津词典

It's nobody's fault.

谁都没有错。

牛津词典

I was disappointed whenever the cook found fault with my work.

每当厨师挑剔我干的活儿时，我都非常沮丧。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Jefferson was generous to a fault...

杰斐逊大方得过了头。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Others will tell you that she is modest to a fault, funny, clever and warm.

别人会告诉你她有趣、聪明又热情，谦逊得过了头。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

It is a big fault to think that you can learn how to manage people in business school.

以为在商学院能学会如何管理人是一大错误。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

His manners had always made her blind to his faults.

他的彬彬有礼总是使她对他的缺点视而不见。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

...a short delay due to a minor technical fault...

一个技术上的小故障引起的短暂延误

柯林斯高阶英语词典

You can't fault them for lack of invention...

你不能因为他们缺乏创新就指责他们。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

It is hard to fault the way he runs his own operation.

他经营自己公司的方式无可指摘。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

...the San Andreas Fault.

圣安德烈亚斯断层

柯林斯高阶英语词典

He could never accept that he had been at fault...

他怎么也无法承认是他的错。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

There are no indications that standard security arrangements were at fault.

没有迹象表明例行的保安措施存在问题。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

A few borrowers will find themselves in trouble with their repayments through no fault of their own.

一些借款人会发现，他们还款遇到了麻烦，但根本不是由于自身的过失造成的。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

There was no escaping the fact: it was all his fault...

这全是他的错，这是无法回避的事实。

柯林斯高阶英语词典