different between allow vs encourage

English

Etymology

From Middle English allowen, alowen, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman allouer, alouer, from Medieval Latin allaud?re, present active infinitive of allaud?, merged with alouer, from Medieval Latin alloc? (“to assign”). The similarity with Middle English alyfen (from Old English ?l?fan, ?l?efan) and German erlauben, both from Proto-Germanic *uzlaubijan? (“to allow”) is coincidental.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??la?/
• enPR: ?-lou'
• Rhymes: -a?

Verb

allow (third-person singular simple present allows, present participle allowing, simple past and past participle allowed)

1. (transitive) To grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield; to let one have.
2. (transitive) To acknowledge; to accept as true; to concede; to accede to an opinion.
3. (transitive) To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; especially to abate or deduct.

4. (transitive) To grant license to; to permit; to consent to.
5. To not bar or obstruct.
6. (transitive) To take into account by making an allowance.

7. (transitive) To render physically possible.
8. (transitive, obsolete) To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.
9. (obsolete) To sanction; to invest; to entrust.
10. (transitive, obsolete) To like; to be suited or pleased with.

Synonyms

• allot, assign, bestow, concede, admit, let, permit, suffer, tolerate

Derived terms

Related terms

• allowance
• disallow

Translations

References

• allow in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

English

Alternative forms

• incourage (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English encouragen, encoragen, from Anglo-Norman encoragier, from Old French encoragier from en- +? corage "courage". Displaced native Middle English belden, bielden (“to encourage”) (from Old English bieldan (“to encourage”)), Middle English bealden, balden (“to encourage”) (from Old English bealdian (“to encourage, make bold”)), Middle English herten (“to encourage, enhearten”) (from Old English hiertan, hyrtan (“to enhearten”)), Old English elnian (“to encourage, strengthen”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n?k???d?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?n?k???d?/
• Hyphenation: en?cour?age

Verb

encourage (third-person singular simple present encourages, present participle encouraging, simple past and past participle encouraged) (transitive)

1. To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.

   I encouraged him during his race.

2. To spur on, strongly recommend.

   We encourage the use of bicycles in the town centre.

3. To foster, give help or patronage

   The royal family has always encouraged the arts in word and deed

Synonyms

• bield
• embolden

Antonyms

• becourage
• discourage

Derived terms

• encouragement
• encouraging
• encouragingly

Related terms

• courage

Translations

French

Verb

encourage

1. inflection of encourager:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. singular imperative