From Middle English faulte, 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 fallō. Displaced native Middle English schuld ("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 lǫstr ("fault, vice, crime")). Compare French faute ("fault, foul"), Portuguese falta ("lack, shortage") and Spanish falta ("lack, absence"). More at fail, false.
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