loss

See also: lõss, löss, løss, loß, löß, and los

English

Alternative forms

• loß (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English los, from Old English los (“damage, destruction, loss”), 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.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /lɒs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /lɔs/, /lɑs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒs

Noun

loss (plural losses)

1. an instance of losing, such as a defeat

   The match ended in their first loss of the season.

2. The result of an alteration in a function or characteristic of the body, or of its previous integrity.

   Loss of an arm ; loss of weight ; loss of cognitive functions ; loss of appetite.

3. the hurtful condition of having lost something or someone

   We mourn his loss.

4. (in the plural) casualties, especially physically eliminated victims of violent conflict

   The battle was won, but losses were great.

5. (financial) the sum an entity loses on balance

   The sum of expenditures and taxes minus total income is a loss, when this difference is positive.

6. destruction, ruin

   It was a terrible crash: both cars were total losses

7. (engineering) electricity of kinetic power expended without doing useful work

   The inefficiency of many old-fashioned power plants exceeds 60% loss before the subsequent losses during transport over the grid

Usage notes

• We often use make or take a loss. See Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take

Antonyms

• gain
• win
• (financial): profit

Derived terms

• loss leader
• loss ratio
• at a loss
• for a loss

Related terms

• losable
• losel
• loser

Translations

instance of losing

• Arabic: خسارة f (khasaara)
• Armenian: կորուստ (korust)
• Catalan: pèrdua (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 滅失 (zh), 灭失 (mièshī)

• Czech: prohra f
• Dutch: verlies (nl) n, nederlaag (nl), verliezen (nl) n
• Finnish: häviö (fi)
• French: défaite (fr) f
• German: Verlust (de) m, (in a game or war) Niederlage (de) f
• Japanese: 損失 (ja) (そんしつ, sonshitsu)

• Persian: باخت (fa) (bâxt)
• Polish: utrata (pl) f, strata (pl) f, (in a game) przegrana f, porażka (pl) f
• Portuguese: perda (pt) f
• Russian: (in a game) проигрыш (ru) m (próigryš), (in a game or war) поражение (ru) n (poražénije), (object or person) потеря (ru) f (potérja), (person) утрата (ru) f (utráta)
• Scottish Gaelic: call m
• Spanish: derrota (es)
• Swahili: hasara (sw)
• Swedish: förlust (sv) c
• Telugu: ఓటమి (te) (ōṭami), పరాజయం (te) (parājayaṃ)
• Vietnamese: mất (vi)

The result of an alteration in a function or characteristic of the body

• French: perte (fr)
• Italian: perdita (it)

• Portuguese: perda (pt)
• Spanish: pérdida (es)

something lost

• Armenian: կորուստ (korust)
• Catalan: pèrdua (ca) f
• Czech: ztráta (cs) f
• Dutch: verlies (nl) n
• Finnish: hävikki (fi)
• French: perte (fr) f
• German: Verlust (de) m
• Hungarian: veszteség (hu)
• Jèrriais: pèrte f

• Persian: زیان (fa) (ziyân)
• Polish: zguba (pl) f
• Portuguese: perda (pt) f
• Russian: потеря (ru) f (potérja), утрата (ru) f (utráta)
• Scottish Gaelic: call m
• Spanish: pérdida (es)
• Swahili: hasara (sw)
• Telugu: నష్టము (te) (naṣṭamu)
• Turkish: kayıp (tr)

hurtful condition resulting from losing

• Armenian: կորուստ (korust)
• Dutch: verlies (nl) n, verslagenheid
• Finnish: menetys (fi)
• French: perte (fr) f
• German: Verlust (de) m
• Jèrriais: pèrte f

• Polish: strata (pl) f, utrata (pl) f
• Scottish Gaelic: call m
• Swahili: hasara (sw)
• Turkish: kayıp (tr)

casualties

• Armenian: կորուստ (korust)
• Dutch: verliezen (nl) pl
• Finnish: häviöt pl
• Hungarian: veszteség (hu)

• Polish: straty pl
• Russian: потеря (ru) f (potérja), потери (ru) f pl (potéri)
• Scottish Gaelic: call m
• Turkish: kayıp (tr)

financial: negative result on balance

• Armenian: վնաս (vnas)
• Catalan: pèrdua (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 虧損, 亏损 (zh) (kuīsǔn)

• Czech: ztráta (cs) f
• Dutch: verlies (nl) n
• Finnish: tappio (fi)
• French: perte (fr) f

• German: Verlust (de) m
• Hungarian: veszteség (hu)
• Japanese: 損益 (ja) (そんえき, son'eki)
• Jèrriais: pèrte f
• Polish: strata (pl) f
• Portuguese: perda (pt) f
• Russian: убыток (ru) m (ubýtok), потеря (ru) f (potérja)
• Scottish Gaelic: call m
• Swedish: förlust (sv) c

engineering: power expended without doing useful work

• Dutch: verlies (nl) n, (electrical) stroomverlies, (mechanical) krachtverlies, (thermic) warmteverlies
• Finnish: häviö (fi)

• Hungarian: veszteség (hu)
• Japanese: 損失 (ja) (そんしつ, sonshitsu)
• Polish: straty f pl

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} წაგება (cageba)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} perdita
• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} tap (no)

• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} pierdere (ro) f
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} pérdida (es)
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} förlust (sv) u

Related terms

• at a loss

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: plan · pain · official · #940: loss · spot · wonderful · shook

Anagrams

• sols, Sols

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Estonian

Etymology

From German Schloss.

Noun

loss (genitive lossi, partitive lossi)

1. castle

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

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Swedish

Etymology

Related to lös

Adjective

loss

1. loose, untied

Adverb

loss

1. loosely