loss

Definition

The result of no longer possessing an object, a function, or a characteristic due to external causes or misplacement.

Etymology

From Middle English los, from Old English los (“damage, destruction, loss”), from Proto-West Germanic *los, from Proto-Germanic *lusą (“dissolution, break-up, loss”), from Proto-Indo-European *lews- (“to cut, sunder, separate, loose, lose”). Cognate with Icelandic los (“dissolution, looseness, break-up”), Old English lor, forlor (“loss, ruin”), Middle High German verlor (“loss, ruin”). More at lose.

Example Sentences

• "loss of limb; weight loss; loss of cognitive functions; loss of appetite."
• "In other areas, glacier loss creates serious risk of a dry period across the Third Pole, Wang said."
• "It was a terrible crash; both cars were total losses."

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