[ˈdiːfɔːlt], (Noun)

Definitions:
- failure to fulfil an obligation, especially to repay a loan or appear in a law court
(e.g: the company will have to restructure its debts to avoid default)

- a preselected option adopted by a computer program or other mechanism when no alternative is specified by the user or programmer
(e.g: the default is fifty lines)


Phrases:
- by default
- go by default
- in default
- in default of

Origin:
Middle English: from Old French defaut, from defaillir ‘to fail’, based on Latin fallere ‘disappoint, deceive’

[dɪˈfɔːlt], (Verb)

Definitions:
- fail to fulfil an obligation, especially to repay a loan or to appear in a law court
(e.g: the dealer could repossess the goods if the customer defaulted)

- (of a device or computer program) revert automatically to (a preselected option)
(e.g: when you start a fresh letter the system will default to its own style)


Phrases:
- by default
- go by default
- in default
- in default of

Origin:
Middle English: from Old French defaut, from defaillir ‘to fail’, based on Latin fallere ‘disappoint, deceive’