Translation
fated, inevitable; disastrous
Word origin
From Latin fatalis, 'belonging to fate', from fatum, 'that which has been spoken' - the past participle of fari, to speak. The oldest sense is a pronouncement by the gods, which is why the word means decreed long before it means deadly.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- fatalis
- English cognates
- fatal, fate, fairy
Examples
.
The mistake was disastrous for the whole project.
, .
He believed that fate is fixed and that you cannot escape it.
.
A disastrous accident stopped the train.
A false friend, and a quiet one, because it is right often enough to lull you. English fatal has drifted almost entirely to "causing death". Esperanto keeps the older weight of the Latin: decreed by fate, unavoidable, and therefore ruinous. renkonto is a meeting that was going to happen and that wrecked something; it does not say anyone died.
If you mean deadly, build it from mortigi, to kill: a is the thing that kills. If you mean a fatal accident in the newspaper sense, morta is clearer than , which a careful reader will take as "the accident that was bound to happen".
The related nouns keep the two strands apart: fato is fate as a force, sorto is the lot that falls to you, and fatalismo is the belief that arguing with either is pointless. See Falsaj amikoj for the rest of the family.
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueEsperanto · Free printables
fatala: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "fatala" (fated, inevitable; disastrous): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 39.