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Fond vs Eager - What's the difference?

fond | eager |

In obsolete terms the difference between fond and eager

is that fond is to caress; to fondle while eager is sharp; keen; bitter; severe.

As a verb fond

is to have a foolish affection for, to be fond of.

fond

English

Adjective

(er)
  • (chiefly, with of) Having a liking or affection (for).
  • * Shakespeare
  • more fond on her than she upon her love
  • * Irving
  • a great traveller, and fond of telling his adventures
  • .
  • a fond farewell
    a fond mother or wife
  • .
  • * {{quote-book, year=1905, author=
  • , title= , chapter=1 citation , passage=“The story of this adoption is, of course, the pivot round which all the circumstances of the mysterious tragedy revolved. Mrs. Yule had an only son, namely, William, to whom she was passionately attached ; but, like many a fond mother, she had the desire of mapping out that son's future entirely according to her own ideas. […]”}}
    I have fond grandparents who spoil me.
  • ; foolish; silly.
  • Your fond dreams of flying to Jupiter have been quashed by the facts of reality.
  • (obsolete) Foolish; simple; weak.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Grant I may never prove so fond / To trust man on his oath or bond.
  • (obsolete) Doted on; regarded with affection.
  • * Byron
  • Nor fix on fond abodes to circumscribe thy prayer.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * fondly * fondness * overfond

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The background design in lace-making.
  • (cooking) brown residue in pans from cooking meats and vegetables.
  • He used the fond to make a classic French pan sauce.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To have a foolish affection for, to be fond of.
  • (obsolete) To caress; to fondle.
  • * Dryden
  • The Tyrian hugs and fonds thee on her breast.

    eager

    English

    (Webster 1913)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) eger, from (etyl) egre (French aigre), from (etyl) ; see acid, acerb, etc. Compare vinegar, alegar.

    Adjective

    (er)
  • (obsolete) Sharp; sour; acid.
  • * Shakespeare
  • like eager droppings into milk
  • (obsolete) Sharp; keen; bitter; severe.
  • * Shakespeare
  • eager words
  • * Shakespeare
  • a nipping and an eager air
  • (rfc-sense) Excited by desire in the pursuit of any object; ardent to pursue, perform, or obtain; keenly desirous; hotly longing; earnest; zealous; impetuous; vehement.
  • * Keble
  • When to her eager lips is brought / Her infant's thrilling kiss.
  • * Hawthorne
  • a crowd of eager and curious schoolboys
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
  • , chapter=19 citation , passage=When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. […]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.}}
  • Brittle; inflexible; not ductile.
  • * John Locke
  • Gold will be sometimes so eager , as artists call it, that it will as little endure the hammer as glass itself.
  • (comptheory) Not employing lazy evaluation; calculating results immediately, rather than deferring calculation until they are required.
  • an eager algorithm
    Synonyms
    * raring
    Derived terms
    * eager beaver * eagerly * eagerness

    Etymology 2

    See (m).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (tidal bore).
  • Anagrams

    *