default
/dɪˈfɔlt/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.29 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A value used when none has been given; a tentative value or standard that is presumed.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "He failed to make payments on time, and he is now in default."
- "You may cure this default by paying the full amount within a week."
- "The deadline has passed, so the debt is now in default."
- "The team's three losses include one default."
- "The man became the leader of the group as a default."
- "One of the darlings of the early vegetarian movement (particularly in its even sadder form, the cutlet), it was on the menu at John Harvey Kellogg's Battle Creek Sanitarium [sic], and has since become the default Sunday option for vegetarians – and a default source of derision for everyone else."
Etymology
From Middle English defaut, defaute, from Old French defaute (“fault, defect, failure, culpability, lack”), ultimately from Latin de- (“away”) + fallo (“deceive, cheat, escape notice of”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: defaute, de-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /dɪˈfɔlt/
- British English: /dɪˈfɒlt/