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Must vs Rather - What's the difference?

must | rather |

As verbs the difference between must and rather

is that must is to do with certainty; (indicates that the speaker is certain that the subject will have executed the predicate) or must can be to make musty while rather is (nonstandard|or|dialectal) to prefer; to prefer to.

As a noun must

is something that is mandatory or required or must can be the property of being stale or musty or must can be a time during which male elephants exhibit increased levels of sexual activity and aggressiveness (also musth) .

As an adverb rather is

(obsolete) more quickly; sooner, earlier.

As an adjective rather is

(obsolete) prior; earlier; former.

must

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) . More at .

Verb

(head)
  • to do with certainty; (indicates that the speaker is certain that the subject will have executed the predicate)
    • If it has rained all day, it must be very wet outside.
    You picked one of two, and it wasn't the first: it must have been the second.
    The children must be asleep by now.
    • You must arrive in class on time. — the requirement is an imperative
    This door handle must be rotated fully. — the requirement is a directive
    Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. (Bible, Acts 9:6)
    Quotations
    * 1936 , , More Poems , IX, lines 3-6 *: Forth I wander, forth I must , *: And drink of life again. *: Forth I must by hedgerow bowers *: To look at the leaves uncurled * 1937 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit *: We must away ere break of day *: To seek the pale enchanted gold. * 1968 Fritz Leiber, Swords in the Mist *: Whereupon while one patched or napped, the other must stand guard against inquisitive two- and three-headed dragons and even an occasional monocephalic.
    Usage notes
    * (sense) Compare with weaker auxiliary verb (should), indicating a strong probability of the predicate's execution. * (sense) Compare with weaker auxiliary verb (should), indicating mere intent for the predicate's execution; and stronger auxiliary verb (will), indicating that the negative consequence will be unusually severe. * The past tense of "must" is also "must"; however, this usage is almost always literary (see Fritz Leiber quotation above). The past sense is usually conveyed by (had to). It is possible to use (be bound to) for the past also. For this reason, (have to) and (be bound to) are also used as alternatives to (must) in the present and future. * The principal verb, if easily supplied, may be omitted. In modern usage this is mainly literary (see Housman and Tolkien quotations above). * (term) is unusual in its negation. (term) still expresses a definite certainty or requirement, with the predicate negated. (term), on the other hand, is negated in the usual manner. Compare: :: You must not' read that book. (''It '''is''' necessary that you '''not read that book. ) :: You need not' read that book. (''It '''is not necessary that you read that book. ) * The second person singular no longer adds "-est" (as it did in Old English).
    See also
    *

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Something that is mandatory or required
    • If you'll be out all day, a map is a must .
    Synonyms
    * imperative
    Antonyms
    * no-no

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) must, most, from (etyl) mustum

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The property of being stale or musty
  • Something that exhibits the property of being stale or musty
  • Fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually grapes
  • * Longfellow
    • No fermenting must fills the deep vats.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make musty.
  • To become musty.
    • External links
    * (wikipedia "must")

    Etymology 3

    (etyl) .

    Noun

  • A time during which male elephants exhibit increased levels of sexual activity and aggressiveness (also musth)
  • * 1936 , George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant'' essay in magazine ''New Writing
    • It was not, of course, a wild elephant, but a tame one which had gone ‘must’.

    Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * 200 English basic words English auxiliary verbs English defective verbs English irregular verbs 1000 English basic words ----

    rather

    English

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (obsolete) More quickly; sooner, earlier.
  • Used to specify a choice or preference; preferably. (Now usually followed by than )
  • *
    • Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material, rather than on herbarium plants.
  • (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) :
    • 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.
  • * 1898, J. A. Hamilton, ", Volume LIV: Stanhope–Stovin , The MacMillan Company, 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.
  • * , chapter=12
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=All this was extraordinarily distasteful to Churchill.
  • (degree) Somewhat, fairly.

    • 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, quite

    Antonyms

    * (somewhat) utterly

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (nonstandard, or, dialectal) To prefer; to prefer to.
  • * 1984 , Bruce Brooks, The Moves Make the Man :
    • 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.
  • * 2002 , Sarah Waters, Fingersmith :
    • 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
  • * 2002 , Elizabeth Bowen, The Heat of the Day :
    • 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?
  • * 2007 , Mikel Schaefer, Lost in Katrina , page 323:
    • "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

    (-)
  • (obsolete) Prior; earlier; former.
  • * Sir J. Mandeville
    • Now no man dwelleth at the rather town.

    Statistics

    * English conjunctive adverbs English degree adverbs