À défaut de
Example: À défaut de preuves, l'accusé reste présumé innocent.
Definition
"À défaut de" is a French expression used to indicate the absence or lack of something, meaning 'in the absence of' or 'failing'. It is often used to suggest an alternative or consequence when the preferred option is not available, as in 'À défaut de preuves' meaning 'In the absence of evidence.'
Etymology
The phrase "À défaut de" comes from French, where 'défaut' means 'default' or 'lack.' The expression literally translates to 'at default of,' implying something is done because the primary thing is missing. Did you know? It’s often used in legal and formal contexts to indicate fallback situations.
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"À défaut de" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
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