pitfall
[pit-fawl]
noun
a lightly covered and unnoticeable pit prepared as a trap for people or animals.
any trap or danger for the unwary: the pitfall of excessive pride.
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RELATED WORDS
peril, risk, danger, snag, difficulty, drawback, web, toil, hook, setup, downfall, catch, mesh, entanglement, snare, pit, swindle, quicksand, mousetrap, deadfall
Nearby words
- pitchstone,
- pitchy,
- piteous,
- piteously,
- pitesti,
- pith,
- pith helmet,
- pith ray,
- pithead,
- pithecanthrope
Origin of pitfall
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for pitfall
pitfall
noun
Word Origin for pitfall
Old English pytt pit 1 + fealle trap
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pitfall
c.1300, "concealed hole," a type of animal trap, from pit (n.1) + fall (n.). Extended sense of "any hidden danger" is first recorded early 15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper