English
fallible
Fallible comes from Medieval Latin fallibilis ‘liable to err, also deceitful’, and goes back to Latin fallō.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfallōas fallere‘to deceive’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fallibilis‘liable to err, also deceitful’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fallible
- Englishtodayfallible
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfallōas fallere‘to deceive’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fallibilis‘liable to err, also deceitful’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fallible
- Englishtodayfallible
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)gʷʰh₂el- ‘to stumble’
through Proto-Italic *falsō
fail, default, falsely, falsetto, 5 more
through Latin fallō ‘to deceive’
failure, fault, false, faux, fallacy, fallacious, falsify, falsity, 8 more
Today it means
adj Capable of making mistakes or being wrong.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin fallō / fallible