What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Ween vs Win - What's the difference?

ween | win |

As nouns the difference between ween and win

is that ween is (obsolete) doubt; conjecture while win is pleasure; joy; delight or win can be gain; profit; income.

As verbs the difference between ween and win

is that ween is (label) to suppose, imagine; to think, believe or ween can be while win is to conquer, defeat.

ween

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) wene, from (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • (obsolete) Doubt; conjecture.
  • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) wenen, from (etyl) .

    Verb

  • (label) To suppose, imagine; to think, believe.
  • *:
  • *:And ryght as Arthur was on horsbak / ther cam a damoisel from Morgan le fey and broughte vnto syr Arthur a swerd lyke vnto Excalibur // and sayd vnto Arthur Morgan le fey sendeth here your swerd for grete loue / and he thanked her / & wende it had ben so / but she was fals / for the swerd and the scaubard was counterfeet & brutyll and fals
  • *1526 , (William Tyndale), trans. (Bible) , (w) VIII:
  • *:Then sayde Peter unto hym: Perissh thou and thy money togedder. For thou wenest that the gyfte of god maye be obteyned with money?
  • (label) To expect, hope or wish.
  • Quotations
    *1481 , Author unknown (pseudonym Sir (John Mandeville)), The travels of Sir John Mandeville : *:And when they will fight they will shock them together in a plump; that if there be 20000 men, men shall not ween that there be scant 10000. *1562 , (John Heywood), The proverbs, epigrams, and miscellanies of John Heywood : *:Wise men in old time would ween' themselves fools; Fools now in new time will ' ween themselves wise. *1677 , Thomas Mall, A cloud of witnesses : *:… for I ween he will no longer suffer him to abide among the adulterous and wicked Generation of this World. *1793 , (Samuel Taylor Coleridge), (Christabel) : *:But neither heat, nor frost, nor thunder, *:Shall wholly do away, I ween , *:The marks of that which once hath been. *1884 , , (Princess Ida) : *:Yet humble second shall be first, I ween *1974 , (Stanislaw Lem), (The Cyberiad) : *:Klapaucius too, I ween , Will turn the deepest green *:To hear such flawless verse from Trurl's machine.
    Derived terms
    * overweening

    Etymology 3

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • Anagrams

    * * ----

    win

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) (m), (m), from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Pleasure; joy; delight.
  • Derived terms
    * (l)

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) . Cognate with (etyl) (m), (etyl) (m), (etyl) (m), (etyl) (m).

    Verb

  • To conquer, defeat.
  • *1485 , Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur , Book IV:
  • *:For and we doo bataille we two wyl fyghte with one kny?t at ones / and therfore yf ye wille fyghte soo we wille be redy at what houre ye wille assigne / And yf ye wynne vs in bataille the lady shal haue her landes ageyne / ye say wel sayd sir Vwayne / therfor make yow redy so that ye be here to morne in the defence of the ladyes ryght
  • *1998 , Rhapsody, Emerald Sword
  • *:For the glory, the power to win the Black Lord, I will search for the Emerald Sword.
  • (label) To triumph or achieve victory in (a game, a war, etc.).
  • (label) To gain (a prize) by succeeding in competition or contest.
  • :
  • (label) To obtain (someone) by wooing.
  • *Sir (Philip Sidney) (1554-1586)
  • *:Thy virtue won me; with virtue preserve me.
  • *(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • *:She is a woman; therefore to be won .
  • (label) To achieve victory.
  • :
  • (label) To obtain (something desired).
  • :
  • (label) To cause a victory for someone.
  • :
  • :
  • To come to by toil or effort; to reach; to overtake.
  • *(Edmund Spenser) (c.1552–1599)
  • *:Even in the porch he him did win .
  • *Sir (Walter Scott) (1771-1832)
  • *:And when the stony path began, / By which the naked peak they won , / Up flew the snowy ptarmigan.
  • To extract (ore, coal, etc.).
  • :(Raymond)
  • Derived terms
    * play to win * win friends * win up

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) (m), (m), from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • gain; profit; income
  • wealth; owndom; goods
  • an individual victory (opposite of a loss)
  • Our first win of the season put us in high spirits.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=September 29 , author=Jon Smith , title=Tottenham 3 - 1 Shamrock Rovers , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Giovani dos Santos smashed home a third five minutes later to wrap up the win .}}
  • (slang) a feat, an (extraordinary) achievement (opposite of a fail)
  • Derived terms

    * winning * winnings * winner * for the win * you win * win back * win through * win round * win out * win over * win-win English irregular verbs English three-letter words 1000 English basic words ----