Hamartia

Word of the Day for Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Hamartia \hah-mahr-TEE-uh\, noun:

Tragic flaw.

What is Oedipus' hamartia that leads to his self-fulfilling self-reversal?
-- Laszlo Versényi, Man's Measure

We called it by many different things, such as hubris or hamartia, but given the way you butcher Latin, let's stick with English.
-- Stephanie Draven, The Fever and the Fury

Hamartia stems from the Greek word hamartánein which meant "to err." However, it entered English in the late 1800s.

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com