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Alliteration vs Refrain - What's the difference?

alliteration | refrain |

As nouns the difference between alliteration and refrain

is that alliteration is the repetition of consonants at the beginning of two or more words immediately succeeding each other, or at short intervals while refrain is the chorus or burden of a song repeated at the end of each verse or stanza.

As a verb refrain is

to hold back, to restrain (someone or something).

alliteration

English

(Webster 1913)

Noun

(en noun)
  • The repetition of consonants at the beginning of two or more words immediately succeeding each other, or at short intervals.
  • The recurrence of the same letter in accented parts of words, as in Anglo-Saxon alliterative meter.

    • Related terms

    * alliterative * alliteratively * alliterativeness

    See also

    * ("alliteration" on Wikipedia)

    refrain

    English

    Etymology 1

    From a combination of (etyl) refraindre, (etyl) refreindre (from (etyl) refrangere), and (etyl) refrener, (etyl) refrener (from (etyl) refrenare).

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (archaic) To hold back, to restrain (someone or something).
  • * Proverbs i:15 .
    • Refrain thy foot from their path.
  • (reflexive, archaic) To show restraint; to hold oneself back.
  • * 1526 , (William Tyndale), trans. Bible , Acts V:
    • And nowe I saye unto you: refrayne youreselves from these men, and let them alone [...].
  • *
    • his reson aperceyueth it wel that it is synne / agayns the lawe of god / and yet his reson / refreyneth nat his foul delit or talent.
  • * Bible, Proverbs i. 15
    • Refrain thy foot from their path.
  • To stop oneself (from) some action or interference; to abstain.
  • * Bible, Acts v. 38
    • Refrain from these men, and let them alone.
  • * Sir Thomas Browne
    • They refrained therefrom [eating flesh] some time after.
  • *
    • Who, requiring a remedy for his gout, received no other counsel than to refrain cold drink.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) refrain, from the (etyl) verb . See refract and the verb refrain.

    Noun

    (wikipedia refrain) (en noun)
  • The chorus or burden of a song repeated at the end of each verse or stanza.
    • We hear the wild refrain . Whittier.
  • A much repeated comment, complaint, or saying.

    • References

    *

    Anagrams

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