A loss or failure in a battle, game, or competition; when someone is beaten or overcome.
From Old French 'defait' meaning 'undone,' derived from Latin 'disffacere' (dis- 'opposite of' + facere 'to do'). The meaning evolved from 'to undo' to 'to conquer' to 'the state of being conquered.'
The word 'defeat' comes from the same root as 'defect'—both involve something being 'undone' or broken. Soldiers in the 1300s used 'defeat' to describe when an enemy's formation was 'unmade' in battle, which is why we still use it for any loss.
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