Importunate vs Importunacy - What's the difference?
importunate | importunacy |
Of a demand: persistent or pressing, often annoyingly so.
Of a person: given to importunate demands, greedily or thoughtlessly demanding.
(rare) To importune, or to obtain by importunity.
* 1581 June 23, Thomas Churchyard, letter to Sir Christopher Hatton, in Sir Harris Nicolas (editor), Memoirs of the Life and Times of Sir Christopher Hatton, K.G. , Richard Bentley (publisher, 1847),
* 1847 December 18, N. Roussel, “Spiritual Destitution of Paris.—Appeal to British Christians”, in Evangelical Christendom: Its State and Prospects , Volume II (1848), Partridge and Oakey,
* 1910 July, David Leslie Brown, “The Need of To-day”, in , Volume 25, Southern Pacific Company,
The quality of being importunate.
Constant demanding and pressure; importunity.
As an adjective importunate
is of a demand: persistent or pressing, often annoyingly so.As a verb importunate
is (rare) to importune, or to obtain by importunity.As a noun importunacy is
the quality of being importunate.importunate
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl)Adjective
(en adjective)Etymology 2
From (etyl)Verb
(importunat)page 173:
- All which notwithstanding, I obtained licence at length to make my supplication to the noble Parliament house; but I could find no messengers till Sir John Seton went, whom I importunated daily to obtain me favor for my return home again.
page 43:
- Is my work ended? The fear of importunating my friends answers, “Yes.”
reverse of frontispiece:
- It is the concrete that impresses, that importunates until it influences—in writing as in everything else.
