Faule
(Faule) n. A fall or falling band. [Obs.]
These laces, ribbons, and these faules.
Herrick. Fault
(Fault) n. [OE. faut, faute, F. faute fr. a verb meaning to want, fail, freq., fr. L. fallere to deceive.
See Fail, and cf. Default.]
1. Defect; want; lack; default.
One, it pleases me, for fault of a better, to call my friend.
Shak. 2. Anything that fails, that is wanting, or that impairs excellence; a failing; a defect; a blemish.
As patches set upon a little breach
Discredit more in hiding of the fault.
Shak. 3. A moral failing; a defect or dereliction from duty; a deviation from propriety; an offense less serious than
a crime.
4. (Geol. & Mining) (a) A dislocation of the strata of the vein. (b) In coal seams, coal rendered worthless
by impurities in the seam; as, slate fault, dirt fault, etc. Raymond.
5. (Hunting) A lost scent; act of losing the scent.
Ceasing their clamorous cry till they have singled,
With much ado, the cold fault cleary out.
Shak. 6. (Tennis) Failure to serve the ball into the proper court.
At fault,
unable to find the scent and continue chase; hence, in trouble or embarrassment, and unable
to proceed; puzzled; thrown off the track. — To find fault, to find reason for blaming or complaining; to
express dissatisfaction; to complain; — followed by with before the thing complained of; but formerly by
at. "Matter to find fault at." Robynson (More's Utopia).
Syn. — — Error; blemish; defect; imperfection; weakness; blunder; failing; vice. — Fault, Failing, Defect,
Foible. A fault is positive, something morally wrong; a failing is negative, some weakness or falling
short in a man's character, disposition, or habits; a defect is also negative, and as applied to character is
the absence of anything which is necessary to its completeness or perfection; a foible is a less important
weakness, which we overlook or smile at. A man may have many failings, and yet commit but few faults; or
his faults and failings may be few, while his foibles are obvious to all. The faults of a friend are often
palliated or explained away into mere defects, and the defects or foibles of an enemy exaggerated
into faults. "I have failings in common with every human being, besides my own peculiar faults; but of
avarice I have generally held myself guiltless." Fox. "Presumption and self-applause are the foibles of
mankind." Waterland.
Fault
(Fault) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Faulted; p. pr. & vb. n. Faulting.]
1. To charge with a fault; to accuse; to find fault with; to blame. [Obs.]
For that I will not fault thee.
Old Song. 2. (Geol.) To interrupt the continuity of (rock strata) by displacement along a plane of fracture; — chiefly
used in the p. p.; as, the coal beds are badly faulted.
Fault
(Fault), v. i. To err; to blunder, to commit a fault; to do wrong. [Obs.]
If after Samuel's death the people had asked of God a king, they had not faulted.
Latimer.