Defeat in Different Languages
Discover 'Defeat' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'defeat' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, representing the opposite of victory and success. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, historical accounts, and even everyday conversations. Understanding the translation of 'defeat' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and express this concept.
For instance, in Spanish, 'defeat' is 'derrota,' while in French, it's 'défaite.' These translations not only help in cross-cultural communication but also offer a glimpse into the linguistic nuances of different languages. Did you know that the English word 'defeat' comes from the Old French 'desfait,' which means 'to undo'? This historical context adds depth to our understanding of the word.
Whether you're a language learner, a cultural enthusiast, or a global citizen, knowing the translation of 'defeat' in various languages can be enlightening and useful. Explore the list below to discover how this powerful word is expressed in different tongues.
Defeat
Defeat in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | nederlaag | ||
| The Afrikaans word "nederlaag" has a secondary meaning of "a low-lying area," which reflects its origin in the Dutch "neerdaling," meaning "descent." | |||
| Amharic | መሸነፍ | ||
| Amharic "መሸነፍ" not only means defeat, but also signifies being outdone in a game or contest | |||
| Hausa | shan kashi | ||
| Originating from the Hausa word 'kashi' ('to break'), 'shan kashi' implies the breaking of an obstacle or challenge. | |||
| Igbo | mmeri | ||
| The word "mmeri" in Igbo, which means "discomfiture" or "outwitting", is derived from the word "mmere", meaning "cleverness". | |||
| Malagasy | faharesena | ||
| The Malagasy word "faharesena" can also refer to a game, race, or competition in which one is defeated. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kugonjetsedwa | ||
| In Nyanja, "kugonjetsedwa" can also figuratively mean "to be fooled or tricked". | |||
| Shona | kukundwa | ||
| Etymology: Stemmed from the word "kukunda" meaning "to lose" or "to miss the mark". Alternate meaning: Failure. | |||
| Somali | guuldarro | ||
| The verb "guuldarro" can also mean "to fall down" or "to be overthrown," and is etymologically related to the word "guul," which means "victory." | |||
| Sesotho | hloloa | ||
| "Hloloa" may also refer to the act of peeling or skinning something. | |||
| Swahili | kushindwa | ||
| The term kushindwa is also used figuratively in Swahili to indicate a setback in a wider enterprise. | |||
| Xhosa | ukoyisa | ||
| The word 'Ukoyisa' in Xhosa can also mean 'to overcome' or 'to surpass'. | |||
| Yoruba | ijatil | ||
| The word 'ijatil' can also refer to 'disgrace' in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ukunqotshwa | ||
| Ukubuyiswa: The word "ukunqotshwa" also means to be returned or sent back, as in the phrase "ukunqotshwa emuva," which means to be returned home. | |||
| Bambara | ka se sɔrɔ | ||
| Ewe | anyidzedze | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gutsindwa | ||
| Lingala | kopolisa | ||
| Luganda | okuwangulwa | ||
| Sepedi | fenya | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nkuguodie | ||
Defeat in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يهزم | ||
| The word "يهزم" in Arabic derives from the root "هزم" (h-z-m), which means "to put to flight" or "to scatter," and is related to the word "هزيمة" (hazīma), meaning "defeat" or "rout." | |||
| Hebrew | לִהַבִיס | ||
| The word "לִהַבִיס" also means "to ignite" or "to flame" in Hebrew, suggesting a fiery or destructive aspect to the concept of defeat. | |||
| Pashto | ماتې | ||
| ماتې literally means "to die" in Pashto, but it has also been used to mean "to defeat" for centuries. | |||
| Arabic | يهزم | ||
| The word "يهزم" in Arabic derives from the root "هزم" (h-z-m), which means "to put to flight" or "to scatter," and is related to the word "هزيمة" (hazīma), meaning "defeat" or "rout." | |||
Defeat in Western European Languages
| Albanian | humbjen | ||
| The word 'humbjen' originates from the Proto-Albanian word '*hun-d'- (to separate). | |||
| Basque | porrota | ||
| The Basque word "porrota" also means "lump" or "bump" and is likely related to "purro" ("boil") and "porrat" ("pustule"). | |||
| Catalan | derrota | ||
| "La derrota" en catalán también puede significar una ruta o camino difícil de recorrer. | |||
| Croatian | poraz | ||
| Historically, 'poraz' was used as the opposite of 'uspeh' ('success') and meant 'failure', but today 'neuspjeh' ('lack of success') is used instead, while 'poraz' is reserved for situations where an active intention is involved. | |||
| Danish | nederlag | ||
| "Nederlag" comes from Old Norse "niðrlǫg", which originally meant "a laying-down of the body", hence "a fall". | |||
| Dutch | nederlaag | ||
| The word "nederlaag" also refers to a type of dance move in Dutch, specifically a stomp or stamping on the ground. | |||
| English | defeat | ||
| The word "defeat" shares its origin with the Latin word "fatigare", meaning "to tire". | |||
| French | défaite | ||
| In French, the word "défaite" can also mean "lack" or "failure." | |||
| Frisian | ferslaan | ||
| The word 'ferslaan' can also mean 'to strike' or 'to kill' in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | derrota | ||
| In Galician, the word "derrota" also refers to the physical or moral weakening caused by illness or suffering. | |||
| German | niederlage | ||
| "Niederlage" comes from the Middle High German "niderlage", which meant "to lay down" or "to put down". | |||
| Icelandic | ósigur | ||
| The Proto-Germanic verb of *ôsi- has the cognates of | |||
| Irish | ruaig | ||
| "Ruaig" can also mean "route", "march" or "journey". | |||
| Italian | la sconfitta | ||
| The Italian word "la sconfitta" comes from the Latin word "conficere," which means "to conquer" or "to defeat." | |||
| Luxembourgish | néierlag | ||
| The word "Néierlag" is derived from the Middle High German word "niderlage", which means "overthrow" or "deposition." | |||
| Maltese | telfa | ||
| 'Telf' in Maltese comes from the Arabic 'talafa' ('to be lost'), and it is also used to describe a situation where something is 'ruined' or 'spoiled'. | |||
| Norwegian | nederlag | ||
| "Nederlag" in Norwegian comes from the Old Norse word "niðrlægja," meaning "to humiliate" or "to overthrow." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | derrota | ||
| The Portuguese word "derrota" originates from the Late Latin verb "derotare," meaning "to overturn, turn over, or upset." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ruaig | ||
| The Gaelic word "ruaig" also means "rout" or "disorderly flight" in English. | |||
| Spanish | derrota | ||
| In 17th and 18th century Spain, the verb | |||
| Swedish | nederlag | ||
| "Nederlag" can also refer to the act of lowering a flag." | |||
| Welsh | trechu | ||
| The word "trechu" also means "to overcome" or "to conquer" in Welsh. | |||
Defeat in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | паражэнне | ||
| The word "паражэнне" in Belarusian has the same origin as the Russian word "поражение" (defeat) and the Polish word "porażka" (defeat). | |||
| Bosnian | poraz | ||
| In Polish, the word "poraz" also means "time" or "occasion". | |||
| Bulgarian | поражение | ||
| The word "поражение" can also be used to describe damage received to an enemy unit in a video game or similar media in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | porazit | ||
| "Porazit" also means "to vomit" in Czech slang. | |||
| Estonian | lüüa | ||
| The word "lüüa" in Estonian has alternate meanings like "to strike" and "to play" in addition to "defeat". | |||
| Finnish | tappio | ||
| "Tappio" comes from the word "tappi", meaning "plug", and is related to the idea of "stopping" something. | |||
| Hungarian | vereség | ||
| The Hungarian word "vereség" is derived from the word "ver", meaning "to strike" or "to beat". It can also refer to a loss in a competition or a setback. | |||
| Latvian | sakāve | ||
| The word "sakāve" is derived from the Proto-Baltic root *sak-, meaning "to beat". | |||
| Lithuanian | nugalėti | ||
| Nugalėti is of Latvian origin and related to the word | |||
| Macedonian | пораз | ||
| The word "пораз" in Macedonian can also refer to a "defeat" in a competition or game. | |||
| Polish | pokonać | ||
| The word 'Pokonać' is similar to the word 'Pokonywać', which means 'to conquer'. | |||
| Romanian | înfrângere | ||
| Înfrângere, also known as "neizbândă or eșec in Romanian, means "defeat". | |||
| Russian | поражение | ||
| "Поражение" can also mean a lesion, wound or damage in the context of medicine or biology. | |||
| Serbian | пораз | ||
| The word 'пораз' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'poraziti', meaning 'to strike' or 'to knock down'. | |||
| Slovak | porážka | ||
| In addition to the meaning “defeat,” “porážka” also carries the meaning “slaughter.” | |||
| Slovenian | poraz | ||
| In Russian, the word "porazheniye" (поражение) has the same etymology and also means defeat. | |||
| Ukrainian | поразка | ||
| "Поразка" is Ukrainian for "defeat," but can also refer to "damage," "loss," "failure," or "impairment." | |||
Defeat in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পরাজয় | ||
| পরাজয় in Bengali comes from the Sanskrit पराजय (parajaya), meaning 'defeat' or 'discomfiture'. | |||
| Gujarati | હાર | ||
| The Gujarati word "હાર" (haar) not only means "defeat" but also refers to a "garland" or "necklace," highlighting the contrasting notions of loss and adornment in a single term. | |||
| Hindi | हार | ||
| The word "हार" in Hindi can also mean "garland", "necklace", or "offering". | |||
| Kannada | ಸೋಲು | ||
| "ಸೋಲು" also means "sunlight" in Kannada, implying that even in defeat, there is hope for a new beginning. | |||
| Malayalam | പരാജയം | ||
| The word "പരാജയം" is also used to denote "disappointment" and "frustration" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | पराभव | ||
| The word 'पराभव' can also mean 'destruction' or 'overthrow' in Marathi and is derived from Sanskrit roots. | |||
| Nepali | हार | ||
| The word 'हार' also means 'flower garland' in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਾਰ | ||
| The word "ਹਾਰ" can also mean a garland or necklace in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පරාජය | ||
| The word "පරාජය" (parajaya) is derived from the Sanskrit word "परिराजय" (parirajaya), meaning "to surround" or "to enclose." | |||
| Tamil | தோல்வி | ||
| The word ''தோல்வி'' (thōlvi) is derived from ''தோல்'' (thōl), meaning skin, hide, or pelt, suggesting that defeat is akin to having one's skin or protective layer stripped away. | |||
| Telugu | ఓటమి | ||
| "ఓటమి" has alternate meanings as a verb, including: "to be defeated" and "to reject". It has alternate meanings as a noun, including: "defeat", "disagreement", and "contention". | |||
| Urdu | شکست | ||
| شکست is derived from the Persian word **shikast** (**شکست**), meaning "broken", "shattered", or "torn". | |||
Defeat in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 打败 | ||
| 打败, also pronounced “dǎbái,” is sometimes used to mean “to beat” or “to whip” in a non-martial context. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 打敗 | ||
| 打敗 in Traditional Chinese can also mean "to beat (in a competition)." | |||
| Japanese | 敗北 | ||
| 敗北 can also refer to the act of losing or the state of being defeated, as well as a person who has been defeated. | |||
| Korean | 패배 | ||
| 패배 is a sino-korean word meaning 'defeat,' but its hanja characters (敗北) literally translate to 'broken north,' likely due to the north direction being associated with weakness in traditional Chinese thought. | |||
| Mongolian | ялагдал | ||
| The word "ялагдал" is also used to refer to a "loss" in the context of a game or competition. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရှုံးနိမ့်ခြင်း | ||
Defeat in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mengalahkan | ||
| "Mengalahkan" can also mean "to overpower" or "to conquer". | |||
| Javanese | kalah | ||
| In Javanese, 'kalah' can also refer to a child's first attempt at a skill. | |||
| Khmer | បរាជ័យ | ||
| "បរាជ័យ" is also a term used in Cambodian history and political science to describe the loss of power or territory. | |||
| Lao | ການເອົາຊະນະ | ||
| Malay | kekalahan | ||
| The word "kekalahan" is derived from the root word "kalah," which means "lose or be defeated in a contest". | |||
| Thai | พ่ายแพ้ | ||
| "พ่ายแพ้" can also mean "failure" or "to give up on something." | |||
| Vietnamese | đánh bại | ||
| The word "đánh bại" in Vietnamese literally means "to hit and defeat". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkatalo | ||
Defeat in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | məğlub etmək | ||
| The word "məğlub etmək" in Azerbaijani derives from the Persian word "maghlub", meaning "conquered" or "overcome". | |||
| Kazakh | жеңіліс | ||
| The Kazakh word "жеңіліс" can also mean "failure" or "loss". | |||
| Kyrgyz | жеңилүү | ||
| The word "жеңилүү" can also mean "relaxation" or "rest" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | шикаст | ||
| The word "шикаст" can also mean "to break or damage" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | ýeňmek | ||
| Uzbek | mag'lubiyat | ||
| The word "mag'lubiyat" can also refer to a loss in a competition or game, or to a setback or failure in general. | |||
| Uyghur | مەغلۇبىيەت | ||
Defeat in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | eo ʻana | ||
| The word "eo ʻana" in Hawaiian can also mean "to fail" or "to lose". | |||
| Maori | hinga | ||
| The word "hinga" can also mean "downfall" or "destruction" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | faiaina | ||
| The word 'faiaina' can also refer to a battle, a game or a contest, and is the root word for 'faia' (battle) and 'faia'i' (to play a game or contest). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagkatalo | ||
| "Pagkatalo" can also refer to a "failure to comply with a regulation or law." | |||
Defeat in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | atipjaña | ||
| Guarani | po'ẽ | ||
Defeat in International Languages
| Esperanto | malvenko | ||
| In the sense of a crushing defeat, "malvenko" alludes to the "malvenkos", mythical giants defeated by Thor. | |||
| Latin | cladem | ||
| Cladem also means "ruin" or "destruction" in Latin, and comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *kled- ("to cover"). | |||
Defeat in Others Languages
| Greek | ήττα | ||
| The word "ήττα" derives from the Homeric word "άαται" meaning "to be overcome." | |||
| Hmong | swb | ||
| The word "swb" (defeat) in Hmong can also mean "to break." | |||
| Kurdish | binketî | ||
| The word "binketî" also means "broken" or "destroyed" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | yenilgi | ||
| Yenilgi is derived from the old Turkish word yenil, which means "to be defeated" or "to be exhausted" | |||
| Xhosa | ukoyisa | ||
| The word 'Ukoyisa' in Xhosa can also mean 'to overcome' or 'to surpass'. | |||
| Yiddish | באַזיגן | ||
| "באַזיגן" is related to the German verb "besiegen" and English word "besiege". | |||
| Zulu | ukunqotshwa | ||
| Ukubuyiswa: The word "ukunqotshwa" also means to be returned or sent back, as in the phrase "ukunqotshwa emuva," which means to be returned home. | |||
| Assamese | হৰুওৱা | ||
| Aymara | atipjaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | हराईं | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަލި | ||
| Dogri | हार | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkatalo | ||
| Guarani | po'ẽ | ||
| Ilocano | abaken | ||
| Krio | win | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شکست | ||
| Maithili | हरेनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯏꯊꯤꯕ ꯄꯤꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hneh | ||
| Oromo | mo'uu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପରାଜୟ | ||
| Quechua | qullupuy | ||
| Sanskrit | पराजय | ||
| Tatar | җиңелү | ||
| Tigrinya | ሽንፈት | ||
| Tsonga | hluriwa | ||
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