different between abuse vs slight

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English abusen, then from either Old French abus (“improper use”), or from Latin ab?sus (“misused, using up”), perfect active participle of ab?tor (“make improper use of, consume, abuse”), from ab (“away”) + ?tor (“to use”). Equivalent to ab- +? use.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??bju?s/
• (General American) enPR: ?byo?os', IPA^(key): /??bjus/
• Hyphenation: ab?use

Noun

abuse (countable and uncountable, plural abuses)

1. Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom. [from around 1350 to 1470]

   Synonym: misuse

2. Misuse; improper use; perversion. [from mid 16^th c.]
   • 1788, Federalist, James Madison, Number 63

     Liberty may be endangered by the abuses of liberty, as well as by the abuses of power.
3. (obsolete) A delusion; an imposture; misrepresentation; deception. [from mid 16^th c. – mid 17^th c.]
4. Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies. [from mid 16^th c.]
   • 1950 February 11, Alhaji Na-Alhaji in Gaskiya Fa Ti Kwabo:

     But he and all the southerners who indulge in this abuse in the newspapers should realize that this will not enable us to find a solution to our problem but will merely aggravate it.

   Synonyms: invective, contumely, reproach, scurrility, insult, opprobrium

5. (now rare) Catachresis. [from late 16^th c.]

   Synonym: abusio

6. Physical maltreatment; injury; cruel treatment. [from late 16^th c.]
7. Violation; defilement; rape; forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another, often on a repeated basis. [from late 16^th c.]

Usage notes

• (misuse, perversion): Typically followed by the word of.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English abusen, from Middle French abuser, from Latin ab?sus (“misused, using up”), perfect active participle of ab?tor (“to use up, misuse, consume”), from ab (“from, away from”) + ?tor (“to use”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??bju?z/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??bjuz/, enPR: ?byo?oz'
• Hyphenation: abuse

Verb

abuse (third-person singular simple present abuses, present participle abusing, simple past and past participle abused)

1. (transitive) To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to misuse; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert [from around 1350 to 1470.]
2. (transitive) To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly. [from mid 16^th c.]

   Synonyms: maltreat, injure
3. (transitive) To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about someone; to disparage. [from early 17^th c.]

   Synonyms: revile, reproach, vilify, vituperate; see also Thesaurus:offend

   • 1991, Yakubu Yahaya, quoted in: 2001, Toyin Falola, Violence in Nigeria: The Crisis of Religious Politics and Secular Ideologies, p. 199:

     So we were angered by this and we could not tolerate this one because prophet Mohammed has been abused so many times in this country. Awolowo abused him sometimes ago saying that he was more successful and popular that^[sic] Mohammed and Jesus.
4. (transitive) To imbibe a drug for a purpose other than it was intended; to intentionally take more of a drug than was prescribed for recreational reasons; to take illegal drugs habitually. [from mid 20^th c.]
5. (transitive, archaic) To violate; defile; to rape. [from around 1350 to 1470]

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

6. (transitive, obsolete) Misrepresent; adulterate. [from around 1350 to 1470 – mid 18^th c.]
7. (transitive, obsolete) To deceive; to trick; to impose on; misuse the confidence of. [from late 15^th c. – early 19^th c.]
   • 1651-2, Jeremy Taylor, "Sermon VI, The House of Feasting; or, The Epicures Measures", in The works of Jeremy Taylor, Volume 1, page 283 (1831), edited by Thomas Smart Hughes

     When Cyrus had espied Astyages and his fellows coming drunk from a banquet loaden with variety of follies and filthiness, their legs failing them, their eyes red and staring, cozened with a moist cloud and abused by a double object

8. (transitive, obsolete, Scotland) Disuse. [from late 15^th century – mid 16^th c.]

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

• Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief; William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002) , “abuse”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, ?ISBN, page 10

Anagrams

• aubes, beaus

French

Verb

abuse

1. first-person singular present indicative of abuser
2. third-person singular present indicative of abuser
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of abuser
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of abuser
5. second-person singular imperative of abuser

Anagrams

• aubes

Latin

Participle

ab?se

1. vocative masculine singular of ab?sus

Portuguese

Verb

abuse

1. first-person singular present subjunctive of abusar
2. third-person singular present subjunctive of abusar
3. first-person singular imperative of abusar
4. third-person singular imperative of abusar

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a?buse/, [a???u.se]

Verb

abuse

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of abusar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of abusar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of abusar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of abusar.

English

Etymology

From Middle English slight (“bad, of poor quality, unimportant, trivial, slender, slim, smooth, level”), from Old English sliht (“smooth, level”), from Proto-Germanic *slihtaz (“slippery, flat, level, plain”), related to English slick. Cognate with Scots slicht (“bad, of poor quality”), West Frisian sljocht (“smooth, level, plain, simple”), Dutch slecht (“bad”), Low German slecht (“bad”), German schlecht (“bad”) and schlicht (“plain, artless, natural”), Danish slet (“bad, evil, poor, nasty, wrong”), Swedish slät (“smooth”), Norwegian slett (“even”), Icelandic sléttur (“even, smooth, level”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: sl?t, IPA^(key): /sla?t/
• (US) IPA^(key): [sl?l?????]
• Rhymes: -a?t
• Homophone: sleight

Adjective

slight (comparative slighter, superlative slightest)

1. Small
   1. gentle or weak, not aggressive or powerful

   2. not thorough; superficial

   3. trifling; unimportant; insignificant
      • 1741, John Locke, Some Thoughts Concerning Education & of the Conduct of the Understanding

        Some firmly embrace doctrines upon slight grounds.

   4. (archaic or rare) not far away in space or time

   Synonyms: ignorable, meaningless, negligible, tiny; see also Thesaurus:tiny, Thesaurus:insignificant

2. of slender build
   • 1822, Sir Walter Scott, Peveril of the Peak

     his own figure, which was formerly so slight

   Synonyms: lithe, svelte, willowy; see also Thesaurus:slender

3. (regional) Even, smooth or level

   Synonyms: flat, glassy, slick; see also Thesaurus:smooth

4. (especially said of the sea) still; with little or no movement on the surface

5. (obsolete) Foolish; silly; not intellectual.

   Synonyms: daft, fatuous, soft in the head; see also Thesaurus:foolish

6. (regional, obsolete) Bad, of poor quality.
   • 1889 (first published), George Washington, Writings

     we frequently have slight Goods and sometimes old and unsaleable Articles

   Synonyms: flimsy, lousy, shoddy; see also Thesaurus:low-quality

7. (dated) Slighting; treating with disdain.

   Synonyms: contemptuous, disdainful, scornful; see also Thesaurus:disdainful

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

slight (third-person singular simple present slights, present participle slighting, simple past and past participle slighted)

1. (transitive) To treat as unimportant or not worthy of attention; to make light of.
   • 1782, William Cowper, Truth

     the wretch who slights the bounty of the skies

2. (transitive) To give lesser weight or importance to.
   • 1915, Josephine Turck Baker, Correct English (volumes 16-17, page 182)

     Incontiguously (accent on tig; the rest of the syllables slighted) means in an incontiguous manner.

   Synonym: belittle

   Antonyms: respect, value, esteem

3. (transitive) To treat with disdain or neglect, usually out of prejudice, hatred, or jealousy; to ignore disrespectfully.
   • 1833, Mary Shelley, The Mortal Immortal

     Though true of heart, she was somewhat of a coquette in manner; and I was jealous as a Turk. She slighted me in a thousand ways, yet would never acknowledge herself to be in the wrong. She would drive me mad with anger, and then force me to beg her pardon.

   Synonyms: contemn, despise

   Antonyms: respect, honor

4. (intransitive) To act negligently or carelessly. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
5. (transitive, military, of a fortification) To render no longer defensible by full or partial demolition.
6. (transitive) To make even or level.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Hexham to this entry?)

7. (transitive) To throw heedlessly.

Derived terms

• slightingly

Translations

Noun

slight (plural slights)

1. The act of slighting; a deliberate act of neglect or discourtesy.

   Synonyms: ignoring, neglect, belittlement

   Antonym: respect

   • 1793, Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

     Never use a slighting expression to her, even in jest; for slights in jest, after frequent bandyings, are apt to end in angry earnest.
2. (obsolete) Sleight.

   • For till that stownd could never wight him harme,
     By subtilty, nor slight, nor might, nor mighty charme.

Derived terms

• put a slight upon

Translations

Further reading

• The Dictionary of the Scots Language
• The Dictionary of the Scots Language
• The Middle English Dictionary

Anagrams

• lights

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English sliht, from Proto-Germanic *slihtaz.

Alternative forms

• sli?t, slei?te, sle?t, slyght, sleght, sleight, sly?t

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slixt/, /sl?xt/
• Rhymes: -ixt

Adjective

slight

1. Level, even, smooth; having no bumps or lumps.
2. (rare) Of little importance or relevance.
3. (rare) Slim, narrow, skinny; of little breadth.
4. (rare) Badly made, poorly-built, or low-quality.

Descendants

• English: slight
• Scots: slicht
• Yola: sleight

References

• “slight, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-12-12.

Etymology 2

Noun

slight

1. Alternative form of sleight

Adjective

slight

1. Alternative form of sleight