force majeure
/ˌfoɹs mɑˈʒɜɹ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.37 in modern English
26
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An unavoidable circumstance, especially one that prevents someone from fulfilling a legal (usually contractual) obligation.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "They [children] realize their oughts no less sharply than their crosses; and this even though they are midgets in a land of giants who have forgotten much of their language and whose right is often founded solely on force majeure."
- "Gen Y is a "force majeure" that will determine the future of the housing market. They are looking for housing solutions that cater to their mobile- and technology-focused lifestyles."
- "Brazil's largest trader of sugar and ethanol declared force majeure to some third party exporters of sugar with contracts to ship through its Santos Port terminal that burned down on Friday, sources in the sugar trade said."
- "18. GNM [Guardian News & Media Limited] shall not be liable for any failure to comply with its obligations where the failure is caused by something outside its reasonable control. Such circumstances shall include, but not be limited to, weather conditions, fire, flood, hurricane, strike, industrial dispute, war, hostilities, political unrest, riots, civil commotion, inevitable accidents, supervening legislation or any other circumstances amounting to force majeure."
- "Dated 14 July, the letter from the Russian state gas monopoly said it was declaring force majeure on supplies, starting from 14 June. Known as an "act of God" clause, a force majeure clause is standard in business contracts and spells out extreme circumstances that excuse a party from their legal obligations."
- "Less than two weeks before the first strikes, Wildberries had changed its terms, classifying drone attacks as force majeure and absolving itself of any obligation to compensate merchants for lost goods."
Etymology
PIE word *méǵh₂s Borrowed from French force majeure (“an exceptionally strong or superior force; (law) an unavoidable circumstance that prevents someone from fulfilling a legal obligation”), from force (“a force”) (ultimately from Latin fortis (“powerful, strong”)) + majeure (the feminine singular of majeur (“of great importance, major”), ultimately from Latin maior (“greater; large”),).
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌfoɹs mɑˈʒɜɹ/
- British English: /ˌfɔːs mæˈʒɜː/