An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Geology: A fracture in the Earth’s crust along which the adjacent rock surfaces have been displaced relative to each other. Movement along the fault can cause → earthquakes or, in the process of mountain-building, can release underlying → magma and permit it to rise to the surface as a volcanic eruption.

Etymology (EN): M.E. faute “deficiency,” from O.Fr. faute “opening, gap; failure, flaw; lack,” from V.L. *fallita “a shortcoming, falling,” from L. falsus “deceptive, feigned, spurious,” p.p. of fallere “to deceive, be wrong.”

Etymology (PE): Gosalé, noun from gosalidan “to break; to snap asunder,” ultimately from Proto-Iranian *uisar-, from *ui- “apart” + *sar- “to break;” cf. Av. sairi- “fragment,” asarəta- “not broken;” Skt. sar- “to break, tear apart,” śūrtá- “smashed,” aśīrtá- “unharmed;” Gk. keraizo “to tear, destroy,” akeraios “unharmed;” PIE base *ker- “to hurt, harm.”