This Glossary of Failure is one of the results of the research project " Failure. Reversing the genealogies of unsuccess; 16th-19th Centuries ," funded by the European Union. Within the framework of such a complex and interdisciplinary research project, born from the convergence of diverse fields of knowledge such as history, philology, art history, and philosophy, the aim of this volume is to address, in a primarily conceptual way, the polysemy of the very notion of failure. However, a conceptual approach does not imply an abstract consideration of the logical characteristics of failure, independent of any context or specific use of the term. Indeed, we must not forget that even Hegel had to rewrite his Science of Logic in light of the scientific discoveries and political events of his time. Therefore, all the entries in this glossary, even starting from an etymological approach, also deal with the literary, artistic, scientific and – of course – philosophical manifestations and applications of each of the notions.

The glossary, available in full below, is supplemented with intertextual links between the different entries, which expand navigation possibilities, and videos of the congress namesake that hosted in November 2020 el Círculo de Bellas Artes.

Bankruptcy

Saúl Martínez Bermejo

Rarely does a term have such a clear etymology as "bankruptcy," for, as the Dictionary of Authorities published by the Royal Spanish Academy (1726-1739) pointed out, it is a "purely Italian word." All dictionaries, both general and specialized in commerce, agree in tracing this same origin. Among others, Bartolomé Clavero has noted that many of these commercial dictionaries also explained the literal origin of the expression: the breaking, as practical as it is symbolic, of the bench on which business was conducted. Or, in the Tractatus politico-juridicus de jure mercatorum et commerciorum singulari , Johann Marquart (1662) indicates that the term seems to derive from "broken table and bench." Bankruptcy is a term that must occupy a specific place in any analysis of failure, since it often refers to a type of failure that is feigned or perceived to a great extent as such. Bankruptcy can be a simulation of true bankruptcy, a fraud.

Drop

Iván de los Ríos

Drop, derived from the Spanish verb. FALL and from Latin. HIP, already attested in the 10th century, from which emerge DROP, But also HAPPENwhich in turn derives from Vulgar Latin ACCADERE and from Classical Latin ACCIDERE (ad-cadere). From an etymological perspective, another fundamental derivative for our purposes is the word EVENT and, above all, the lexical family of the term DECADENCE; DECAY, from vulgar Latin DECADERE, from which come "to decline", "decadence", "relapse", "decline", but also CADENCE, from Italian CADENZA, a word itself derived from the verb HIP which is at the base of our DROP.

Guilt

Nantu Arroyo

The term "culpa" (fault) originates from Latin and means "fault" or "imputation." In Roman law, there were different types of fault: a) fault by choice, b) fault by omission, c) fault in the performance of an obligation, and d) fault in supervision. Each of these "faults" or "imputations" required a proportionate punishment, linking this meaning to legal responsibility. According to the Royal Spanish Academy, the word "culpa" is used in four senses: psychological , theological , moral , and legal . Considering these, it is essential to point out the close connection between the concepts of fault and debt.

Slope

Nantu Arroyo

The word decline comes from Latin, specifically from the noun form of the adjective *declivis* , which literally means "that which is on a slope," applied to a physical terrain that is inclined downwards, or "that which is in decline" (see decline ). It is also used figuratively to describe anything or anyone that gradually loses strength, intensity, importance, or perfection. However, "to be in decline" is not usually said of individuals, but rather of groups, states, or societies that gradually lose the strength or values ​​that constitute them and weaken until they disintegrate.

Defeat

David Sánchez Usanos

In Spanish, the word "defeat" has two fundamentally distinct meanings. One refers to the path, course, route, or direction, primarily that followed by a vessel or ship. The other, which is of greater interest to us here, refers to the loss of a battle, to failure in a war, a confrontation, or a dispute. Thus, the verb "to defeat" is equivalent to conquering, destroying, or, in the context of bullfighting or navigation, making a change of direction (abrupt in the case of the bull, when it turns its horns from one side to the other).

Disaster

Pablo Castro García

We readily find in modern languages ​​compound terms that combine the Latin prefix of negation, opposition, or privation ( dis- ) and the Greco-Latin root referring to celestial bodies ( aster/astron in Greek, astrum in Latin). Despite the ease with which modern languages ​​construct these compound forms from Greek and Latin, we do not find similar terms in these latter languages ​​in terms of their formation. We find nothing similar to désastre , disastro , desastre , disaster , or unstern , modern terms that share their form and meaning: misfortune, calamity, setback, disaster (and the damage resulting from such events).

Desengaño

Gabriel Aranzueque

Formed from the negative prefix des- and the noun engaño (deceit) , this word designates the dominant feeling one harbors when a certain state of affairs belies the expectation, hope, or trust placed in something or someone. The prefix des- denotes negation, contradiction, or deprivation of the meaning of the word to which the prefix is ​​applied (RAE, 2009, 716). This morphological process also expresses intentionality, as well as the partial or total loss of what is expressed in the lexical base, and connotes a negative critique of the word to which the prefix is ​​added.

Deuda

Nantu Arroyo

The term "debt" can be understood in several ways, including: 1) a moral obligation owed to someone, 2) a legal obligation, falling under the law of obligations, and 3) a payment obligation undertaken by someone who is bound to repay something, usually money, to another person; in this last sense, the debt is specifically economic. If we look closely, these three meanings of debt emphasize the obligation to repay it, which refers solely to the negative aspect of debt, focusing on one of the parties in the relationship that the debt represents: the debtor.

Error

Valerio Rocco Lozano

In Greek, two main verbs express the contrast between success and failure: tynchano/hamartano. At this level, failure is understood in opposition to the verb of success and good fortune. There are different semantic levels to this. Tynchano is, in Homer, the quintessential verb of encounters. Initially, and primarily within the Iliad , its context is the realm of battle. It is therefore part of the vocabulary of war and designates the contact between a weapon and the enemy's body, or their warrior attire, as a result of a blow or throw.

Exile

David Sánchez Usanos

Exile refers to an "outside," a separation or distance from a place to which one feels a sense of belonging: city, country, territory, community. It comes from the Latin *exilium* and is usually associated with banishment and, therefore, can be linked to ostracism (from the Greek * ostrakismós *, ὀστρακισμός ), with the condemnation that banishment for political reasons related to dishonor or unvirtuous behavior entails. The antecedent of *exilium* is *exsilire* ("to jump out") and the Greek * phuge* (φυγή), which means "flight," "escape" (also from a battle), and finally "exile." The term is almost identical in other related languages; see * exile* (English), * exilé* (French), *esilio* (Italian), or *Exil* (German).

Spot

Diego S. Garrocho Salcedo

Every stain entails the subversion of a continuity. A stain is always accidental, unforeseen, unexpected. A stain exerts a disruption, an intrusion or interruption on a predictable logic, on a surface, along a trajectory. A stain embodies an alteration, the inclusion of something other upon a reality that ideally aspires to be considered pure, and you already know the ancient relationship between impurity and sin, between the blemish and the transgression. The stain par excellence, as we all know, is always a bloodstain.

Monster

Julia Blanco Martínez

The word "monster" comes from the Latin * monstrum* , a term with a strong religious connotation: it was used to denote a prodigy, a supernatural event, or a sign from the gods. Monsters are so named because they " monstrat futurum , monet voluntatem deorum "—they reveal the future, they warn of the will of the gods. The word derives from the verb *monere*: ​​to warn, to admonish, which in turn comes from *moneie-* "to make one think of, to remind," the causative form of the root *men-*: to think. *Demonstrare* (to demonstrate) and *amonstar* (to admonish) share the same root.

Shipwreck

Valerio Rocco Lozano

The term "shipwreck" comes from the Latin "naufragium," itself derived from the combination of the words "navis," ship (from its Greek derivative "naus"), and "frangere," "to break." This etymology indicates that a shipwreck is not so much the sinking of the ship, but its immediate (and prior) cause: the impact against an external element that breaks the vessel's structure. Therefore, in Latin, "shipwreck" always carries the sense of a certain external misfortune and is attributable to elements partly external to the subjective element (the crew).

Another Sunset

Julia Blanco Martínez

The term "sunset" is used symbolically to represent a scene or moment of thought that constitutes the final phase of existence, closely linked to the term "decay." However, there are two markedly different views of sunset as an end. First, there is the view of sunset as a terminal moment beyond which nothing will happen, nothing is expected; and second, there is a view of sunset as the moment that gives way to a new dawn, a cyclical interpretation of the object of study to which this metaphor is applied.

Oblivion

Eduardo Zazo

There is no doubt that forgetting is a form of failure. If we understand forgetting as the negation of memory, then forgetting is the result of the failure of the incessant activity of one of our most fascinating and least understood faculties: memory. If we understand forgetting as something different, perhaps something positive, then forgetting has a meaning, a purpose, or a direction, and we can investigate whether these are successful or unsuccessful.

Lost

Pablo Castro García

Words lose, lost y pérdida In modern languages ​​they trace back to the Latin word sorry, verbal form composed of the root of-, what does it mean give in the group of Indo-European languages” (Benveniste, 1983, p. 54), and by the prefix per-, which indicates, in the case at hand, deviation (Ernout and Meillet, 2001, p. 497). The root do-, from which we get Greek doron and Latin donum (The donation in both cases), is already interesting enough for historical analysis, as it refers to certain fundamental institutions of Western legal and economic life. Specifically, the verbal form we are analyzing (I forgive/I forgive) acquires in Latin the meaning of give or spend uselesslyAnd in an even more pronounced sense, lost means spoil, ruin o destroy (Ibid., p. 180).

Poverty

Saúl Martínez Bermejo

The etymological origins of the word "poverty" can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European term *peh-w* (little, small). In Ancient Greek, the term *παῦρος* also meant little or small. The etymology of the Germanic term *Arm* (poor, from which *Armut *, poverty, derives) is largely unknown, but it may be related to terms concerning loneliness or isolation from the community. These two words are complemented in modern German by a multitude of terms to define those without means, in need, or unfortunate ( besitzlos, mittellos, bedürftig, beklagenswert ).

Ruin

Diego S. Garrocho Salcedo

Ruin . To be a ruin. To fall into ruin. To ruin or be ruined. To bring to ruin. These are just some of the most common ways we can recognize a term that, on many occasions, tends to be expressed in the plural to emphasize its meaning. Ruins are not the result of a mere accumulation—of one destruction after another—but rather, in their varied state, they usually signify a decline, collapse, or architectural decay. The singular is most often used to refer to a form of misfortune, because to be truly and completely ruined—even if, as the chorus leader in Oedipus Rex says, on the last day—can only be ruined over an entire lifetime.

Suicide

Eduardo Zazo

Approaches to Suicide. Death is inevitable, yes, but there are many ways to die. One of them is suicide. The first question is essential: does suicide constitute a form of failure? On the one hand, suicide can be understood as the failure of a life voluntarily ended, as the failure of a life worth living, as irrefutable proof that something has gone wrong or that society has failed. Globally, this is how it is viewed today. It is not for nothing that the World Health Organization (WHO) is responsible for this issue of “mental health.”

Stumbling block

Iván de los Ríos

Scandal , attested in the Spanish language at least since 1374, derives from the Latin * scandalum* , itself taken from the Greek * tos skandalon*, meaning "trap or obstacle to cause someone to fall"—in classical Greek—and "occasion for sin"—in New Testament Greek. In classical Greek, *ho skandalarios* / *hoi skandalarioi* are the pebbles or planks of the roofs (the Latin * scandularius *). More interesting for our purposes is the noun *he skandale* , which refers to the stake carefully placed in the center of an animal trap, upon which bait is placed. When the bait is lifted from the stake, the trap closes and kills or captures the animal.