Link Centre Dictionary

pitfall

pit·fall

UK/ˈpɪtfɔːl/ US/ˈpɪtfɔl/ uncommon

noun

1.
2.

a trap in the form of a concealed hole

Synonyms

Origin

First recorded use in the 14th century from pit + fall in the sense of "pit trap, pit snare", from Old English fealle (“trap, snare”), from Proto-Germanic *fallą, *fallaz (“a fall, trap”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pōl-. Cognate with German Falle (“trap, snare”).

Phrases

  • pitfall and gin

Related words

Broader terms

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.