Downfall
WordNet
noun
(1) Failure that results in a loss of position or reputation
(2) A sudden decline in strength or number or importance
"The fall of the House of Hapsburg"
(3) The falling to earth of any form of water (rain or snow or hail or sleet or mist)
WiktionaryText
Noun
- A precipitous decline in fortune; a rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.
- Many economic and political reasons led to the downfall of the Roman Empire.
- The cause of such a fall; a critical blow or error.
- It is the downfall of evil, that it never sees far enough ahead. — Orson Scott Card