selhání

Selhání is a Czech noun that denotes failure, breakdown, or malfunction. It is used to describe the breakdown or incapacity of a device, process, organization, or living organism, as well as the failure to achieve a desired outcome in various activities. The term can refer to technical, medical, social, or economic contexts, and it often implies an end state after a decline or loss of function.

Etymology and sense: Selhání is derived from the verb selhat, meaning to fail or fall short. As a noun, selhání expresses the result or act of failing, whether due to internal defects, external stress, or progressive deterioration.

Contexts and examples:

- Technical and mechanical: a machine may suffer selhání or total failure, leading to a shutdown or halt of operations.

- Computing and systems: a software or hardware fault may cause system selhání, outages, or service disruption.

- Medical: organ or bodily failure is described as selhání, for example selhání ledvin (kidney failure) or selhání srdce (heart failure).

- Economic and social: selhání trhu (market failure) refers to inefficiencies in resource allocation; institutional or system selhání describes breakdowns in governance or regulatory frameworks.

Usage notes: Selhání often conveys the notion of a loss of function or the inability to continue functioning as intended, and it can carry a formal or technical tone. It is sometimes contrasted with porucha or závada, where porucha emphasizes a malfunction or defect, while selhání stresses a failure to perform or endure. The term is widely used in medicine, engineering, economics, and risk assessment.