Added 9 October 2026
pitfall
/ˈpɪtfɔːl/ noun
In Latin: fovea First recorded: 14th century Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pitfall at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An unforeseen or unexpected or surprising difficulty.
- A trap in the form of a concealed hole.
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”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)