fiasco

English

WOTD – 9 November 2007

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian fiasco (bottle, flask), from Late Latin flasca, flascō (bottle, container), from Frankish flaska (bottle, flask) from Proto-Germanic *flaskǭ (bottle); see flask. “Failure” sense comes through French faire fiasco from Italian theatrical slang far fiasco (literally to make a bottle), of unknown origin.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fɪˈæs.kəʊ/
  • (file)
  • (file)

Noun

A fiasco of Chianti (sense 3)

fiasco (plural fiascos or fiascoes)

  1. A sudden or unexpected failure.
  2. A ludicrous or humiliating situation. Some effort that went quite wrong.
    Synonym: debacle
  3. A wine bottle in a (usually straw) jacket.

Translations

See also

  • fiasci (hypercorrect plural)
  • fiaschi (Italianate plural; often considered pedantic)

References

Further reading

Anagrams


Catalan

Pronunciation

Noun

fiasco m (plural fiascos)

  1. fiasco (situation)

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian fiasco. Doublet of flasque.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fjas.ko/

Noun

fiasco m (plural fiascos)

  1. fiasco (situation)
  2. fiasco (bottle)

Further reading


Italian

Etymology

From Late Latin flasco, flasca (bottle, container), from Old Frankish *flaska (bottle, flask), from Proto-Germanic *flaskǭ (bottle), from Proto-Germanic *flehtaną (to plait), from Proto-Indo-European *plek- (to weave, braid). Akin to Old High German flasca (flask), Old English flasce, flaxe (bottle). More at flask.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈfjäs̪ːko]
  • (file)

Noun

fiasco m (plural fiaschi)

  1. flask
  2. fiasco
  3. flagon
  4. (figuratively) debacle, failure

Anagrams

Descendants


Portuguese

Noun

fiasco m (plural fiascos)

  1. fiasco (ludicrous or humiliating situation)

Synonyms


Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian fiasco. Doublet of frasco.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfjasko/

Noun

fiasco m (plural fiascos)

  1. fiasco
    Synonym: fracaso

Further reading

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