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Woo vs Compel - What's the difference?

woo | compel |

In transitive terms the difference between woo and compel

is that woo is (often of a man) To try to persuade someone to marry oneself; to solicit in love while compel is to exact, extort, (make) produce by force.

As an interjection woo

is expressing joy or mirth; woohoo, yahoo.

As an adjective woo

is an alternative spelling of lang=en.

As a proper noun Woo

is a Chinese surname.

woo

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) wowen, .

Alternative forms

* wo, wow, wowe (obsolete)

Verb

  • To endeavor to gain someone's support.
  • (often of a man) To try to persuade someone to marry oneself; to solicit in love.
  • * Prior
    • Each, like the Grecian artist, wooes / The image he himself has wrought.
  • To court solicitously; to invite with importunity.
  • * Milton
    • Thee, chantress, oft the woods among / I woo , to hear thy even song.
  • * Bryant
    • I woo the wind / That still delays his coming.
    Synonyms
    * court
    Derived terms
    * woo back

    Etymology 2

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • (slang) Expressing joy or mirth; woohoo, yahoo.
    • "I got you a new cell phone." "Woo , that's great!"

    Etymology 3

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
    • English terms with homophones ----

    compel

    English

    Verb

  • (transitive, archaic, literally) To drive together, round up (rfex)
  • To overpower; to subdue.
  • * 1917 , , King Coal , ch. 16,
    • She had one of those perfect faces, which irresistibly compel the soul of a man.
  • To force, constrain or coerce.
    • Logic compels''' the wise, while fools feel '''compelled by emotions.
  • * 1600 , , Julius Caesar , act 5, sc. 1,
    • Against my will, / As Pompey was, am I compell’d to set / Upon one battle all our liberties.
  • * Hallam
    • Wolsey compelled the people to pay up the whole subsidy at once.
  • To exact, extort, (make) produce by force.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Commissions, which compel from each / The sixth part of his substance.
  • * 1912 , , Sky Island , ch. 14,
    • The Queen has nothing but the power to execute the laws, to adjust grievances and to compel order.
  • (obsolete) To force to yield; to overpower; to subjugate.
  • * Dryden
    • Easy sleep their weary limbs compelled .
  • * Tennyson
    • I compel all creatures to my will.
  • (obsolete) To gather or unite in a crowd or company.
  • * Dryden
    • in one troop compelled
  • (obsolete) To call forth; to summon.
  • * Spenser
    • She had this knight from far compelled .
    (Chapman)

    Derived terms

    * compellable * compeller * compelling * compellation * compel testimony

    References

    * * * Random House Webster’s Unabridged Electronic Dictionary , 1987-1996. English control verbs English transitive verbs