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Discomfit vs Master - What's the difference?

discomfit | master | Related terms |

As verbs the difference between discomfit and master

is that discomfit is to defeat completely; to rout while master is {{cx|intransitive|lang=en}} To be a master.

As adjectives the difference between discomfit and master

is that discomfit is discomfited; overthrown while master is masterful.

As a noun master is

someone who has control over something or someone.

discomfit

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • (archaic) To defeat completely; to rout.
  • * 1611 , Bible: King James Version , (w) 17:13,
  • And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
  • * (Edmund Spenser)
  • And his proud foes discomfit in victorious field.
  • To defeat the plans or hopes of; to frustrate.
  • * 1886 , (Andrew Lang) The Mark Of Cain , chapter 10,
  • In these disguises, Maitland argued, he would certainly avoid recognition, and so discomfit any mischief planned by the enemies of Margaret.
  • (proscribed) To embarrass greatly; to confuse; to perplex; to disconcert.
  • * 1853 , , Villette , chapter 20,
  • She is a pretty, silly girl: but are you apprehensive that her titter will discomfit the old lady?
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.}}

    Usage notes

    While widely used to mean “to embarrass, to disconcert”, prescriptive usage considers this a mistake (confusion with discomfort), and restrict discomfit to meaning “to defeat”.Discomfit zone]”, January 4, 2008, [http://www.grammarphobia.com/ Grammarphobia

    Synonyms

    * overthrow, vanquish * (frustrate) foil, thwart * abash, disconcert * See also

    See also

    * discomfort

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete) discomfited; overthrown
  • (Webster 1913)

    References

    master

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) maister, mayster, meister, from (etyl) ). Reinforced by (etyl) maistre, mestre from the same Latin source.

    Alternative forms

    * (l) (dialectal), (l) (dialectal) * mastre (obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Someone who has control over something or someone.
  • * Addison
  • master of a hundred thousand drachms
  • * Jowett (Thucyd.)
  • We are masters of the sea.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on an afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track.
  • The owner of an animal or slave.
  • (nautical) The captain of a merchant ship; a master mariner.
  • Someone who employs others.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.}}
  • An expert at something.
  • * Macaulay
  • great masters of ridicule
  • * John Locke
  • No care is taken to improve young men in their own language, that they may thoroughly understand and be masters of it.
  • A tradesman who is qualified to teach apprentices.
  • (dated) A schoolmaster.
  • A skilled artist.
  • (dated) A man or a boy; mister. See Master.
  • * Jonathan Swift
  • Where there are little masters and misses in a house, they are impediments to the diversions of the servants.
  • A master's degree; a type of postgraduate degree, usually undertaken after a bachelor degree.
  • A person holding such a degree.
  • The original of a document or of a recording.
  • (film) The primary wide shot of a scene, into which the closeups will be edited later.
  • (legal) A parajudicial officer (such as a referee, an auditor, an examiner, or an assessor) specially appointed to help a court with its proceedings.
  • (engineering) A device that is controlling other devices or is an authoritative source (e.g. master database).
  • A person holding an office of authority among the Freemasons, especially the presiding officer; also, a person holding a similar office in other civic societies.
  • Synonyms
    * (sense, master's degree) masters, master's * (sense, master's degree) magistrate (Quebec English) * (film) establishing shot, long shot * (ship) skipper, captain * See also
    Derived terms
    (master) * ballet master * barmaster * beemaster * bergmaster * boroughmaster * brewmaster * burghomaster * burgomaster * bushmaster * chess master * cockmaster * concertmaster * craftsmaster * dockmaster * drill master/drillmaster * games master/games-master * Grand Master/grandmaster * harbor master/harbor-master/harbormaster * headmaster * house master/housemaster * ironmaster * * jumpmaster * loadmaster * lockmaster * master bedroom * master bricklayer * master builder * master card * master cast * master class * master copy * master cylinder * master file * master gland * master key * master mariner * master mason * Master of Arts * master of ceremonies * Master of Science * master plan/master-plan/masterplan * master race * master sergeant * master status * master tradesman * master trust * master-at-arms * masterdom * masterful * masterhood * masterless * masterly * mastermind * masterous * masterpiece * Masters * mastership * mastersinger * masterstroke * masterwork * mastery * metal master * mint-master * old master * past master * paymaster * postmaster * property master * puppet master/puppet-master/puppetmaster * quartermaster * question master/question-master/questionmaster * quizmaster * rattlesnake master * ringmaster * roaming master * saymaster * schoolmaster * scoutmaster * sheepmaster * shipmaster * spymaster * stationmaster * taskmaster * toastmaster * trackmaster * trainmaster * undermaster * watermaster * webmaster * weighmaster * whoremaster * workmaster * wreck master/wreck-master/wreckmaster * yardmaster
    See also
    * (l) * (l)

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Masterful.
  • Main, principal or predominant.
  • Highly skilled.
  • Original.
  • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue.
  • * (and other bibliographic details) (John Locke)
  • Obstinacy and willful neglects must be mastered , even though it cost blows.
  • * 1898 , , (Moonfleet) Chapter 4
  • Then Elzevir cried out angrily, 'Silence. Are you mad, or has the liquor mastered you? Are you Revenue-men that you dare shout and roister? or contrabandiers with the lugger in the offing, and your life in your hand. You make noise enough to wake folk in Moonfleet from their beds.'
  • To learn to a high degree of proficiency.
  • It took her years to master the art of needlecraft.
  • (obsolete) To own; to posses.
  • * (and other bibliographic details) (Shakespeare)
  • the wealth that the world masters
  • To make a master copy of.
  • To earn a Master's degree.
  • He mastered in English at the state college.
    Derived terms
    (Terms derived from the noun "master") * bemaster * masterable * overmaster * remaster

    Etymology 2

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (nautical, in combination) A vessel having a specified number of masts.
  • a two-master

    Statistics

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    Anagrams

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