- fallible
- fallible early 15c., from M.L. fallibilis "liable to err, deceitful." lit. "that can be deceived," from L. fallere "deceive" (see FAIL (Cf. fail)).
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
fallible
Look at other dictionaries:
Fallible — Fal li*ble, a. [LL. fallibilis, fr. L. fallere to deceive: cf. F. faillible. See {Fail}.] Liable to fail, mistake, or err; liable to deceive or to be deceived; as, all men are fallible; our opinions and hopes are fallible. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
fallible — I adjective deficient, errable, errant, erring, errori obnoxius, faulty, flawed, imperfect, liable to be erroneous, liable to mistake, not perfect, prone to error, prone to inaccuracy, uncertain, undependable, unpredictable, unreliable, unstable … Law dictionary
fallible — [adj] able or prone to err careless, deceptive, errable, errant, erring, faulty, frail, heedless, human, ignorant, imperfect, in question, liable, mortal, questionable, uncertain, unreliable, untrustworthy, weak; concept 542 Ant. certain, correct … New thesaurus
fallible — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ capable of making mistakes or being wrong. DERIVATIVES fallibility noun fallibly adverb. ORIGIN Latin fallibilis, from fallere deceive … English terms dictionary
fallible — [fal′ə bəl] adj. [ME < ML fallibilis < L fallere, to deceive: see FAIL] 1. capable of making a mistake or being deceived 2. liable to be erroneous or inaccurate fallibility [fal′əbil′ə tē] n. fallibleness fallibly adv … English World dictionary
fallible — [[t]fæ̱lɪb(ə)l[/t]] ADJ GRADED If you say that someone or something is fallible, you mean that they are not perfect and are likely to make mistakes or to fail in what they are doing. [FORMAL] They are only human and all too fallible... The system … English dictionary
fallible — adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin fallibilis, from Latin fallere Date: 15th century 1. liable to be erroneous < a fallible generalization > 2. capable of making a mistake < we re all fallible > • fallibly adverb … New Collegiate Dictionary
fallible — fal|li|ble [ˈfælıbəl] adj formal [Date: 1400 1500; : Medieval Latin; Origin: fallibilis, from Latin fallere to deceive ] able to make mistakes or be wrong ≠ ↑infallible ▪ Humans are fallible. ▪ These surveys are often a rather fallible guide to… … Dictionary of contemporary English
fallible — fal|li|ble [ fæləbl ] adjective not perfect, and likely to be wrong or make mistakes: a fallible legal system Everyone is fallible. ╾ fal|li|bil|i|ty [ fælə bıləti ] noun uncount … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
fallible — adjective able to make mistakes or be wrong: Parents are fallible, Susie, just like everyone else. | These surveys are often a rather fallible guide to public opinion. fallibility noun (U) opposite infallible … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
