defeat
UK[dɪˈfiːt]US[dɪˈfiːt]
v
To win a victory over someone in a battle, competition, or game.
v
To cause something to fail or prevent it from being successful.
n
The fact of losing a contest or being unsuccessful.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
feat
de
undo
feat
act
Etymology
The word 'defeat' has a literal core meaning of "to undo an act." It entered Middle English from the Anglo-French 'defet,' past participle of 'defaire,' meaning "to undo, destroy." This, in turn, descended from the Vulgar Latin 'disfacere,' a compound of the Latin prefix 'dis-' (expressing reversal) and 'facere' (to do). The original sense was to destroy or ruin. Over time, its application narrowed specifically to the context of conflict, where one party's actions are rendered null by the superior actions of another, leading to the modern meaning of overcoming an opponent or causing failure.
Analysis
Structure: de (undo) + feat (act)
The prefix 'de-' originates from Latin, meaning "down, away, off, undo." The root 'feat' comes from the Latin verb 'facere,' meaning "to do, make," which entered English via Old French 'fait' (meaning "act, deed").
Examples
The army managed to defeat the invading forces.
The proposal was defeated in parliament by a narrow margin.
After their third consecutive defeat, the team's morale was low.