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Resign vs Defer - What's the difference?

resign | defer |

In transitive terms the difference between resign and defer

is that resign is to give up or hand over (something to someone); to relinquish ownership of while defer is to delay or postpone; especially to postpone induction into military service.

resign

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) reisgner, (etyl) resigner, and its source, (etyl) .

Verb

(en verb)
  • To give up or hand over (something to someone); to relinquish ownership of.
  • * , I.39:
  • And if the perfection of well-speaking might bring any glorie sutable unto a great personage, Scipio'' and ''Lelius would never have resigned the honour of their Comedies.
  • (transitive, or, intransitive) To quit (a job or position).
  • I am resigning in protest of the unfair treatment of our employees.
    He resigned the crown to follow his heart.
  • (transitive, or, intransitive) To submit passively; to give up as hopeless or inevitable.
  • After fighting for so long, she finally resigned to her death.
    He had no choice but to resign the game and let his opponent become the champion.
  • * 1996 , Robin Buss, The Count of Monte Cristo'', translation of, edition, ISBN 0140449264, page 394 [http://books.google.com/books?id=QAa5l_8DNbcC&pg=PA394&dq=fate]:
  • Here is a man who was resigned' to his fate, who was walking to the scaffold and about to die like a coward, that's true, but at least he was about to die without resisting and without recrimination. Do you know what gave him that much strength? Do you know what consoled him? Do you know what ' resigned him to his fate?
    Synonyms
    * quit
    Derived terms
    * resignation * resign oneself

    Etymology 2

    (re-) + (sign)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (proscribed)
  • Usage notes

    The spelling without the hyphen results in a heteronym and is usually avoided.

    Anagrams

    * reigns * signer * singer English contranyms English heteronyms

    defer

    English

    Etymology 1

    * From (etyl) differer, from (etyl) .

    Verb

    (deferr)
  • To delay or postpone; especially to postpone induction into military service.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Defer the spoil of the city until night.
  • * {{quote-book
  • , year=1818 , author=Mary Shelley , title=Frankenstein , chapter=3 citation , passage=My departure for Ingolstadt, which had been deferred by these events, was now again determined upon.}}
  • to delay, to wait
  • * Milton
  • God will not long defer / To vindicate the glory of his name.
  • (American football) to choose to kick off after winning the opening coin toss.
  • Derived terms
    * deferral

    Etymology 2

    * From (etyl)

    Verb

    (deferr)
  • (legal) To submit to the opinion or desire of another in respect to their judgment or authority.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • Hereupon the commissioners deferred the matter to the Earl of Northumberland.
  • * 1899 ,
  • "Well, I must defer to your judgment. You are captain," he said with marked civility.
  • to render, to offer
  • * Brevint
  • worship deferred to the Virgin
    Derived terms
    * deference

    Anagrams

    * * ----