Lot vs Rather - What's the difference?
lot | rather |
A large quantity or number; a great deal.
* W. Black
* , chapter=3
, title= A separate portion; a number of things taken collectively.
One or more items auctioned or sold as a unit, separate from other items.
(informal) A number of people taken collectively.
A distinct portion or plot of land, usually smaller than a field.
* Kent
That which happens without human design or forethought; chance; accident; hazard; fortune; fate.
* Spenser
Anything (as a die, pebble, ball, or slip of paper) used in determining a question by chance, or without human choice or will.
* Bible, Proverbs xvi. 33
* Shakespeare
The part, or fate, that falls to one, as it were, by chance, or without his planning.
* Milton
* Alexander Pope
*
A prize in a lottery.
Allotment; lottery.
* 1990 : (Donald Kagan), Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy , chapter 2: “Politician”, page 40 (Guild Publishing; 2239)
All members of a set; everything.
An old unit of weight used in many European countries from the Middle Ages, often defined as 1/30 or 1/32 of a (local) pound.
(dated) To allot; to sort; to apportion.
(US, informal, dated) To count]] or [[reckon on, reckon (on'' or ''upon ).
(obsolete) More quickly; sooner, earlier.
Used to specify a choice or preference; preferably. (Now usually followed by than )
*
(conjunctive) Used to introduce a contradiction; on the contrary.
(conjunctive) Introducing a qualification or clarification; more precisely. (Now usually preceded by or .)
* 1897 , (Henry James), (What Maisie Knew) :
* 1898, J. A. Hamilton, ", Volume LIV: Stanhope–Stovin , The MacMillan Company,
* , chapter=12
, title= (degree) Somewhat, fairly.
(nonstandard, or, dialectal) To prefer; to prefer to.
* 1984 , Bruce Brooks, The Moves Make the Man :
* 2002 , Sarah Waters, Fingersmith :
* 2002 , Elizabeth Bowen, The Heat of the Day :
* 2007 , Mikel Schaefer, Lost in Katrina , page 323:
(obsolete) Prior; earlier; former.
* Sir J. Mandeville
As a proper noun lot
is a nephew of abraham in the bible and quran.As an adverb rather is
(obsolete) more quickly; sooner, earlier.As a verb rather is
(nonstandard|or|dialectal) to prefer; to prefer to.As an adjective rather is
(obsolete) prior; earlier; former.lot
English
Noun
(en noun)- He wrote to her he might be detained in London by a lot of business.
Mr. Pratt's Patients, passage=My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.}}
- The defendants leased a house and lot in the city of New York.
- But save my life, which lot before your foot doth lay.
- The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.
- If we draw lots , he speeds.
- O visions ill foreseen! Each day's lot's / Enough to bear.
- He was but born to try / The lot of man — to suffer and to die.
- as Jones alone was discovered, the poor lad bore not only the whole smart, but the whole blame; both which fell again to his lot on the following occasion.
- (Evelyn)
- The Greeks expected their leaders to show physical courage, whether in the athletic arena or in battle, as well as piety, generosity, and nobility. Cimon had risen to power chiefly because of his military prowess, and any rival must be able to show at least honorable service and military competence. By this time, moreover, the generals were coming to be the most important political figures in Athens. Archons served only for one year and, since 487/6, they were chosen by lot . Generals, on the other hand, were chosen by direct election and could be reelected without limit.
- The table was loaded with food, but by evening there was nothing but crumbs; we had eaten the lot .
Synonyms
* (large quantity or number) load, mass, pile * (number of things taken collectively) batch, collection, group, set * crowd, gang, group * (distinct portion or plot of land) allotment, parcel, plot * (that which happens without human design or forethought) destiny, fate, fortune * (anything used in determining a question by chance) * (fate that falls to one by chance) * (prize in a lottery) prize * See alsoDerived terms
* a lotVerb
Anagrams
* * 1000 English basic words ----rather
English
Adverb
(-)- Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material, rather than on herbarium plants.
- What the pupil already knew was indeed rather taken for granted than expressed, but it performed the useful function of transcending all textbooks and supplanting all studies.
page 60,
- His ‘Iliad’ is spirited and polished, and, though often rather a paraphrase than a translation, is always more truly poetic than most of the best translations.
The Mirror and the Lamp, passage=All this was extraordinarily distasteful to Churchill.
Usage notes
* (somewhat) This is a non-descriptive qualifier'', similar to quite and fairly and somewhat. It is used where a plain adjective needs to be modified, but cannot be qualified. When spoken, the meaning can vary with the tone of voice and stress. "''He was rather big''" can mean anything from "not small" to "huge" (meiosis with the stress on ''rather ).Synonyms
* liever, liefer, as lief * (to a certain extent) somewhat, fairly, quiteAntonyms
* (somewhat) utterlyVerb
(en verb)- Until just before the pie was popped into the heat. A few of them suddenly realized who put that gorgeous hunk of crackers together, and gaped. We grinned back, but very cool. The ones who knew said nothing, rathering to die than let on they had been hustled by two negative dudes.
- It was a plain brown dress, more or less the colour of my hair; and the walls of our kitchen being also brown, when I came downstairs again I could hardly be seen. I should have rathered a blue gown, or a violet one
- So you must excuse my saying anything I did: all it was, that up to the very last I had understood us all to be friendly — apart, that is, from his rathering me not there. How was I to know he would flash out so wicked?
- "That was a killer," said Chris. "I'd rathered' die in St. Bernard than spent one minute over there. I would have ' rathered the storm, shaking with the wind and rain hitting in the boat for an eternity than spending any time there.
Adjective
(-)- Now no man dwelleth at the rather town.