noun
1.
a feature that mars the perfection of something; defect; fault: beauty without flaw; the flaws in our plan.
2.
a defect impairing legal soundness or validity.
verb (used with object)
4.
to produce a flaw in.
verb (used without object)
5.
to contract a flaw; become cracked or defective.
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English flaw(e), flage, perhaps < Old Norse flaga sliver, flake
1275–1325; Middle English flaw(e), flage, perhaps < Old Norse flaga sliver, flake
Related forms
flaw·less, adjective
00:10
Flaw
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
Also called windflaw. a sudden, usually brief windstorm or gust of wind.
2.
a short spell of rough weather.
3.
Obsolete. a burst of feeling, fury, etc.
Origin:
1475–85; < Old Norse flaga attack, squall
1475–85; < Old Norse flaga attack, squall
Related forms
flaw·y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To flaw
Collins
World English Dictionary
flaw1 (flɔː) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | an imperfection, defect, or blemish |
| 2. | a crack, breach, or rift |
| 3. | law an invalidating fault or defect in a document or proceeding |
| —vb | |
| 4. | to make or become blemished, defective, or imperfect |
| [C14: probably from Old Norse flaga stone slab; related to Swedish flaga chip, flake, flaw] | |
| 'flawless1 | |
| —adj | |
| 'flawlessly1 | |
| —adv | |
| 'flawlessness1 | |
| —n | |
| flaw2 (flɔː) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. a sudden short gust of wind; squall |
| b. a spell of bad, esp windy, weather | |
| 2. | obsolete an outburst of strong feeling |
| [C16: of Scandinavian origin; related to Norwegian flaga squall, gust, Middle Dutch vlāghe] | |
| 'flawy2 | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
flaw
early 14c., "snowflake, spark of fire," from O.N. flaga "stone slab, flake" (see flagstone); sense of "defect, fault" first recorded 1580s, first of character, later (c.1600) of material things; probably via notion of a "fragment" broken off. Related: Flawed (early 15c.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
It was a design flaw, and yet vacuum cleaners had been made that way for a hundred years.
But two months later the plan still lacks detail-and has an obvious flaw.
My hats go off to you for exposing this major engineering flaw.
The book's largest flaw is that it is not as careful and clear-eyed politically as it is economically.
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