pitfall

Meaning

1. (figuratively) A potential, unsuspected, hidden problem, hazard, or danger that is easily encountered but not immediately obvious.
2. A type of trap consisting of a concealed pit in the ground, which the victim is supposed to fall into and not be able to get out from.
3. An antipattern.
4. Subsidence below ground in a mine, which can cause the ground level above to drop.

Synonyms

trap

🪤

snare

pit

booby-trap

booby trap

catch

hole

🕳️

ruse

cavern

kheda

Translations

piège

🪤

Falle

🪤

valstrik

armadilha

🪤

trampa

🪤

tranello

🪤

feq

cilada

🪤

tuzak

🪤

trappe

val

dab

fen

xefik

dav

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpɪtfɔːl/

Etymology

Inherited from Old English: fealle

Cognate with German: Falle

In summary

First recorded use in the 14th century from pit + fall in the sense of "pit trap, pit snare", from Old English fealle (“trap, snare”), from Proto-Germanic *fallą, *fallaz (“a fall, trap”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pōl-. Cognate with German Falle (“trap, snare”).