derailment
UK[diːˈreɪlmənt]US[diːˈreɪlmənt]
n
An accident in which a train leaves the tracks.
n
A disruption or interruption of a planned process or activity.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
rail
ment
de
off, away
rail
track
ment
act or state of
Etymology
The word 'derailment' is a modern compound built from recognizable English elements. The core noun 'rail', tracing back to the Latin 'regula' (a straight piece of wood or metal, a rule), entered English via Old French to denote the tracks guiding a train. The Latin prefix 'de-', meaning "away from," is attached to the verb 'derail' to signify the action of coming "off the rails." Finally, the Latinate suffix '-ment' is appended to form a noun describing the event or resulting state of that action. Thus, the literal "act of coming off the rails" logically extends to metaphorically describe any planned process that is thrown off course.
Analysis
Structure: de (off, away) + rail (track) + ment (act or state of)
- de: A prefix of Latin origin, meaning "off, away, down, from, completely." In this word, it indicates removal or departure from.
- rail: A morpheme of Old French origin (from 'reille', meaning "iron bar"), referring to the metal track on which a train runs.
- ment: A suffix of Latin origin (via Old French), forming nouns that denote an action, process, or resulting state.
Examples
The train crash was caused by a derailment on a sharp curve.
The scandal led to the derailment of his political career.
Engineers are investigating the cause of the derailment.