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Diffident vs Prim - What's the difference?

diffident | prim | Related terms |

Diffident is a related term of prim.


As an adjective diffident

is (archaic): lacking confidence in others; distrustful.

As a noun prim is

prime (the first note or tone of a musical scale).

diffident

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • (archaic): Lacking confidence in others; distrustful.
  • Lacking confidence in one's self; distrustful of one's own powers; not self-reliant; timid; modest; bashful; characterized by modest reserve.
  • *
    • Having therefore—but hold, as we are diffident of our own abilities, let us here invite a superior power to our assistance.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=1960 , author= , title=(Jeeves in the Offing) , section=chapter VIII , passage=At an early point in these exchanges I had started to sidle to the door, and I now sidled through it, rather like a diffident crab on some sandy beach trying to avoid the attentions of a child with a spade.}}

    prim

    English

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) prim, prin, from (etyl) (lena) .

    Adjective

    (primmer)
  • prudish, straight-laced
  • formal; precise; affectedly neat or nice
    • prim''' regularity; a '''prim person
    (Jonathan Swift)
    Usage notes
    Often used in the collocation “prim and proper”.
    Derived terms
    * prim and proper * prissy

    Verb

  • (dated) To make affectedly precise or proper.
  • (dated) To dress or act smartly.

    • Etymology 2

    See privet.

    Noun

  • (botany) privet
    • (Webster 1913) ----