défaillance

failure, breakdown

noun deh-fah-YAHNS Rare

Also means

blackout, fainting fit

Usage Note

Défaillance covers both mechanical breakdown ('une défaillance technique') and a sudden physical collapse or faint ('il a eu une défaillance cardiaque'). In legal and administrative French, défaillance also means a default or failure to appear. The verb is défaillir ('to fail, to faint').

Examples

"Une défaillance technique a bloqué le système."

Natural Translation

A technical failure brought down the system.

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