Link Centre Dictionary

flaw

UK/ˈflɔː/ US/floː/ fairly common
noun (2) verb (1)

noun

1.

an imperfection in a device or machine

  • “if there are any defects you should send it back to the manufacturer”
Synonyms
2.

defect or weakness in a person''s character

  • “he had his flaws, but he was great nonetheless”

verb

1.

Origin

From Middle English flawe, flay (“a flake of fire or snow, spark, splinter”), probably from Old Norse flaga (“a flag or slab of stone, flake”), from Proto-Germanic *flagō (“a layer of soil”), from Proto-Indo-European *plok- (“broad, flat”). Cognate with Icelandic flaga (“flake”), Swedish flaga (“flake, scale”), Danish flage (“flake”), Middle Low German vlage (“a layer of soil”), Old English flōh (“a fragment, piece”).

Phrases

  • design flaw
  • Persian flaw
  • tragic flaw

Related words

Word family

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.