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défaillir

to faint

verb deh-fah-YEER Rare
Body & Health Health & Illness

Also means

to fail suddenly

Usage Note

Défaillir is a literary or formal verb meaning to collapse physically or to give way suddenly, used of a person, a system, or a mechanism. The related noun défaillance is more common in everyday speech and means 'failure' or 'blackout.' Défaillir is irregular and conjugated like faillir.

Examples

"Elle a failli défaillir sous la chaleur."

Natural Translation

She nearly fainted in the heat.

Literal Translation

She almost fainted under the heat.

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