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Rather vs Even - What's the difference?

rather | even |

In obsolete terms the difference between rather and even

is that rather is prior; earlier; former while even is associate; fellow; of the same condition.

As a noun even is

evening.

As a proper noun Even is

a Tungusic language spoken by the Evens in Siberia.

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

    even

    English

    (wikipedia even)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl), from (etyl) efen, efn, . The traditional proposal connecting the Germanic adjective with the root (etyl) ) is problematic from a phonological point of view.Schaffner, Stefan (2000). “Altindisch amnás'', urgermanisch *''e?na-'', kelt. *''e?no-''.” In: ''Indoarisch, Iranisch und die Indogermanistik. Akten des Kolloquiums der Indogermanischen Gesellschaft vom 2. bis 5. Oktober 1997 in Erlangen , Forssman, Bernhard & Plath, Robert (eds.), Wiesbaden, pp. 491–505. In German.

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Flat and level.
    • Clear out those rocks. The surface must be even .
  • Without great variation.
    • Despite her fear, she spoke in an even voice.
  • Equal in proportion, quantity, size etc.
    • The distribution of food must be even .
  • (not comparable, of an integer) Divisible by two.
    • Four, fourteen and forty are even numbers.
  • (of a number) Convenient for ing other numbers to; for example, ending in a zero.
  • * 1989 , , Other People's Money , Act I:
    • Coles. How many shares have you bought, Mr. Garfinkle?
    Garfinkle. One hundred and ninety-six thousand.
    Jorgenson. How'd you figure out to buy such an odd amount? Why not two hundred thousand — nice even' number. Thought you liked nice ' even numbers.
  • * 1998 , paperback edition, ISBN 0060930934, page 253 [http://books.google.com/books?id=28iYykbTIhwC&pg=PA253&dq=even]:
    • He put me on the scale in my underwear and socks: 82 pounds. I left, humming all day long, remembering that once upon a time my ideal weight had been 84, and now I'd even beaten that. I decided 80 was a better number, a nice even number to be.
  • On equal monetary terms; neither owing or being owed.
  • (colloquial) On equal terms of a moral sort; quits.
    • You biffed me back at the barn, and I biffed you here—so now we're even .
  • parallel; on a level; reaching the same limit
  • * Bible, Luke xix. 44
    • And shall lay thee even with the ground.
  • (obsolete) Without an irregularity, flaw, or blemish; pure.
  • * Shakespeare
    • I know my life so even .
  • (obsolete) Associate; fellow; of the same condition.
  • * Wyclif (Matt.)
    • His even servant.
    Usage notes
    * Because of confusion with the "divisible by two" sense, use of to mean "convenient for rounding" is rare; the synonym round is more common.
    Synonyms
    * (flat and level) flat, level, uniform * (without great variation) monotone (voice) * (convenient for rounding) round * (On equal monetary terms) quits (qualifier)
    Antonyms
    * (flat and level) uneven * (of an integer) odd
    Derived terms
    * break-even point * call it even * doubly even * even function * even keel * even odds * even-pinnate * even-steven, even-stevens * getting even * of even date * singly even

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make flat and level.
    • We need to even this playing field; the west goal is too low.
  • * Sir Walter Raleigh
    • His temple Xerxes evened with the soil.
  • * Evelyn
    • It will even all inequalities.
  • (obsolete) To equal.
  • * Fuller
    • to even him in valour
  • (obsolete) To be equal.
  • (obsolete) To place in an equal state, as to obligation, or in a state in which nothing is due on either side; to balance, as accounts; to make quits.
    • (Shakespeare)
  • (obsolete) To set right; to complete.
  • (obsolete) To act up to; to keep pace with.
    • (Shakespeare)
    Synonyms
    (to make flat and level ): flatten, level
    Derived terms
    * an even chance * break even * break-even * even as * even-handed * even if * even-keeled * evenly * evenhood * even money * even more * even out * even permutation * even stevens * even-tempered * even up * get even * of even date * uneven

    References

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) .

    Adverb

    (-)
  • Exactly, just, fully.
  • :
  • :
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=He used to drop into my chambers once in a while to smoke, and was first-rate company. When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me.}}
  • *
  • *:Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,. Even' such a boat as the ''Mount Vernon'' offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, ' even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
    • , chapter=1 citation , passage=He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement.}}
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=29, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= Unspontaneous combustion , passage=Since the mid-1980s, when Indonesia first began to clear its bountiful forests on an industrial scale in favour of lucrative palm-oil plantations, “haze” has become an almost annual occurrence in South-East Asia. The cheapest way to clear logged woodland is to burn it, producing an acrid cloud of foul white smoke that, carried by the wind, can cover hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles.}}
  • :
  • (lb) Rather.
  • :
    • Usage notes
    See
    Derived terms
    * even as we speak * even so * even though * not even * not even one

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) even, from (etyl) . Cognate with Dutch avond, Low German Avend, German Abend, Danish aften. See also the related terms (l) and (l).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (archaic, or, poetic) Evening.
  • * 1526 , William Tyndale, trans. Bible , Matthew ch. 8:
    • When the even was come they brought unto him many that were possessed with devylles [...].
    Synonyms
    * e'en (archaic) * evening
    Derived terms
    * evenfall * evensong
    Related terms
    * (l) * (l)

    Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * * 200 English basic words English adjectives ending in -en English degree adverbs English focus adverbs 1000 English basic words ----