Emily Dickinson Lexicon

fail (-ed, -est, -ing, -s), v. [OFr 'to be wanting, miss.'] (webplay: bad, care, decay, die, dry, entirely, expectations, eyes, faithful, fall, fulfill, God, insufficient, land, lest, man, miss, old, season, sight, sink, walk, wanting, weaker).

1. Disappear; vanish; leave existence.
2. End; cease; discontinue; become no longer present.
3. Refrain; refuse; reject; decline.
4. Be unfulfilled; fall short of expectation.
5. Malfunction; prove unsuccessful; be unable to accomplish or perform.
6. Sin; transgress.
7. Be unattainable; be unable to reach.
8. Die; pass away; deteriorate.