From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Loss \Loss\ (l[o^]s; 115), n. [AS. los loss, losing, fr.
le['i]san to lose. [root]127. See Lose, v. t.]
1. The act of losing; failure; destruction; privation; as,
the loss of property; loss of money by gaming; loss of
health or reputation.
[1913 Webster]
Assured loss before the match be played. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
2. The state of losing or having lost; the privation, defect,
misfortune, harm, etc., which ensues from losing.
[1913 Webster]
Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss.
--Shak
[1913 Webster]
3. That which is lost or from which one has parted; waste; --
opposed to gain or increase; as, the loss of liquor by
leakage was considerable.
[1913 Webster]
4. The state of being lost or destroyed; especially, the
wreck or foundering of a ship or other vessel.
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5. Failure to gain or win; as, loss of a race or battle.
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6. Failure to use advantageously; as, loss of time.
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7. (Mil.) Killed, wounded, and captured persons, or captured
property.
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8. (Insurance) Destruction or diminution of value, if brought
about in a manner provided for in the insurance contract
(as destruction by fire or wreck, damage by water or
smoke), or the death or injury of an insured person; also,
the sum paid or payable therefor; as, the losses of the
company this year amount to a million of dollars.
[1913 Webster]
To bear a loss, to make a loss good; also, to sustain a
loss without sinking under it.
To be at a loss, to be in a state of uncertainty.
Syn: Privation; detriment; injury; damage.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
loss
n 1: something that is lost; "the car was a total loss"; "loss
of livestock left the rancher bankrupt"
2: gradual decline in amount or activity; "weight loss"; "a
serious loss of business"
3: the act of losing someone or something; "everyone expected
him to win so his loss was a shock"
4: the disadvantage that results from losing something; "his
loss of credibility led to his resignation"; "losing him is
no great deprivation" [syn: loss, deprivation]
5: the experience of losing a loved one; "he sympathized on the
loss of their grandfather"
6: the amount by which the cost of a business exceeds its
revenue; "the company operated at a loss last year"; "the
company operated in the red last year" [syn: loss, {red
ink}, red] [ant: gain]
7: military personnel lost by death or capture [syn: {personnel
casualty}, loss]
8: euphemistic expressions for death; "thousands mourned his
passing" [syn: passing, loss, departure, exit,
expiration, going, release]
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008) [foldoc]:
loss
<jargon> Something (not a person) that loses; a situation in
which something is losing. Emphatic forms include "moby
loss", and "total loss", "complete loss". Common
interjections are "What a loss!" and "What a moby loss!"
Note that "moby loss" is OK even though **"moby loser" is not
used; applied to an abstract noun, moby is simply a magnifier,
whereas when applied to a person it implies substance and has
positive connotations.
Compare lossage.
(1995-04-19)
From Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) [jargon]:
loss
n.
Something (not a person) that loses; a situation in which something is
losing. Emphatic forms include moby loss, and total loss, complete
loss. Common interjections are "What a loss!" and "What a moby loss!"
Note that moby loss is OK even though **moby loser is not used;
applied to an abstract noun, moby is simply a magnifier, whereas when
applied to a person it implies substance and has positive
connotations. Compare lossage.