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Purpose vs Alum - What's the difference?

purpose | alum |

In lang=en terms the difference between purpose and alum

is that purpose is (passive ) designed for some purpose while alum is to steep in, or otherwise impregnate with, a solution of alum; to treat with alum.

As nouns the difference between purpose and alum

is that purpose is an object to be reached; a target; an aim; a goal while alum is an astringent salt, usually occurring in the form of pale crystals, much used in the dyeing and tanning trade and in certain medicines, and now understood to be a double sulphate of potassium and aluminium (k2so4al2(so4)324h2o) or alum can be (us) a graduate of a university or other institution.

As verbs the difference between purpose and alum

is that purpose is have set as one's purpose; resolve to accomplish; intend; plan while alum is to steep in, or otherwise impregnate with, a solution of alum; to treat with alum.

purpose

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • An object to be reached; a target; an aim; a goal.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author= Ed Pilkington
    • , volume=188, issue=26, page=6, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= ‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told , passage=In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.}}
  • A result that is desired; an intention.
  • The act of intending to do something; resolution; determination.
  • * 2013 , Phil McNulty, "[http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23830980]", BBC Sport , 1 September 2013:
    • United began with more purpose in the early phase of the second half and Liverpool were grateful for Glen Johnson's crucial block from Young's goalbound shot.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author= Sarah Glaz
    • , title= Ode to Prime Numbers , volume=101, issue=4, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Some poems, echoing the purpose of early poetic treatises on scientific principles, attempt to elucidate the mathematical concepts that underlie prime numbers. Others play with primes’ cultural associations. Still others derive their structure from mathematical patterns involving primes.}}
  • The subject of discourse; the point at issue.
    • (Spenser)
  • The reason for which something is done, or the reason it is done in a particular way.
    • The purpose of turning off the lights overnight is to save energy.
  • (obsolete) Instance; example.
    • (rfquotek, L'Estrange)
    Synonyms
    * (target ): aim, goal, object, target * (intention ): aim, plan, intention * (determination ): determination, intention, resolution * (subject of discourse ): matter, subject, topic * (reason for doing something ): reason * See also
    Derived terms
    (terms derived from purpose) * all-purpose * common purpose * cross-purpose * fit for purpose * for all intents and purposes * game with a purpose * general-purpose * infinitive of purpose * multi-purpose * metapurpose * purpose-built * purposeful * purposeless * purpose-like * purpose loan * purposely * purpose statement * on purpose

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl)

    Verb

    (purpos)
  • Have set as one's purpose; resolve to accomplish; intend; plan.
  • * Macaulay
    • I purpose to write the history of England from the accession of King James the Second down to a time which is within the memory of men still living.
  • (passive ) Designed for some purpose.
  • (obsolete) To have a purpose or intention; to discourse.
    • (Spenser)
    Derived terms
    * purposed * purposer * purposive * on purpose
    Synonyms
    * (have set as one's purpose ): aim, intend, mean, plan, set out * (designed for some purpose ): intended

    References

    * * *

    Statistics

    *

    alum

    English

    (wikipedia alum)

    Alternative forms

    * alumn

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) alum, (alume) et al. , (etyl) allume, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An astringent salt, usually occurring in the form of pale crystals, much used in the dyeing and tanning trade and in certain medicines, and now understood to be a double sulphate of potassium and aluminium (K2SO4.Al2(SO4)3.24H2O).
  • * 1991 , Felix Gilbert, The Pope, His Banker, and Venice , page 80,
    • Venice also needed alum' for trade, since it was the point of departure for overland transportation of ' alum to southern Germany and its cloth-manufacturing Free Cities.
  • * 2011 , Thomas Penn, Winter King , Penguin 2012, p. 201:
    • A natural astringent and antiseptic, potassium alum was coveted for its medicinal and cosmetic properties.
  • (chemistry) Any similar double sulphate in which either or both of the potassium and aluminium is wholly or partly replaced by other univalent or tervalent cations.
  • * 1807 , William Nicholson (editor), A Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts , Volume XVIII, page 286,
    • With weld and cochineal, which are colouring matters the most sensible to the action of sulphate of iron, the purified alums' gave us colours more brilliant, fresh, and in a slight degree lighter; while those with our common ' alums were all duller, and evidently of a deeper hue.
  • * 2000 June, Competition Science Vision , page 486,
    • For similar reasons, aluminium sulphate and alums' are used in dyeing cloth.Normally ' alums are soluble in water and insoluble in alcohols.
  • * 2005 , Amit Arora, Text Book Of Inorganic Chemistry , page 386,
    • In structure, the alums' consist of simple ions, being not complexes, but double salts. Potash '''alum''' or potassium '''alum''' is the common ' alum , with the formula KAl(SO4)2.12H2O) which, for convenience, may be written K2SO4.Al2(SO4)3.24H2O
    Synonyms
    * (double sulphate of potassium and aluminum) potash alum
    Derived terms
    * alum cake * alum earth * alumed * alumina * aluming * alumish * alum mine * alumocalcite * alumogenite * alum rock * alum root * alum shale * alum stone * alum works * ammonia alum * burnt alum * cake alum * chrome alum * chrome-ammonia alum * common alum * feather alum * filter alum * iron alum * magnesia alum * manganese alum * manganoso-magnesium alum * native alum * papermaker's alum * plume alum * potash alum * pseudo alum * Roman alum * saccharine alum * silver alum * soda alum
    Related terms
    * aluminiferous, aluniferous * aluminiform * aluminilite * aluminise, aluminize * aluminite * aluminous * alunite * alunogen

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To steep in, or otherwise impregnate with, a solution of alum; to treat with alum.
    • (Ure)
    Derived terms
    * unalumed

    Etymology 2

    From alumnus and alumna, by removal of the non-native, gender-specific endings.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (US) A graduate of a university or other institution.
  • * 1961 Spring, Anchora of Delta Gamma , Volume LXXVII, No. 3, page 59,
    • Evanston-North Shore' ' alums are happy to open their homes to Sigma actives for special social events.
  • * 2006 , Ted Hart, James M. Greenfield, Pamela M. Gignac, Christopher Carnie, Major Donors: Finding Big Gifts in Your Database and Online , page 47,
    • You'll remember that we're starting with a list of slightly over 7,000 names that are alums (most of them over 50) that we'd like to whittle down to a manageable list of prospects.
  • * 2009 , Timothy C. Jacobson, Charity & Merit: Trinity School at 300 , page 190,
    • All schools that last have alums , and, ancient as it was by American standards, Trinity by mid-century had thousands.

    See also

    * apjohnite * bosjemanite * halotrichite * kalinite * websterite

    Anagrams

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