different between attraction vs knack

English

Etymology

From Middle English attraccioun, from Old French attraction, from Latin attractio from past participle of attrah? (= ad + trah?), equivalent to attract +? -ion

Pronunciation

• (US, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??t?æk??n/, [??t?æk?(??)n], [??t???æk?(??)n]
• Rhymes: -æk??n

Noun

attraction (countable and uncountable, plural attractions)

1. The tendency to attract.

2. The feeling of being attracted.

3. (countable) An event, location, or business that has a tendency to draw interest from visitors, and in many cases, local residents.

4. (chess) The sacrifice of pieces in order to expose the enemy king.
5. (linguistics) An error in language production that incorrectly extends a feature from one word in a sentence to another, e.g. when a verb agrees with a noun other than its subject.

Synonyms

• charm
• pull

Antonyms

• repulsion

See also

• orientation

Translations

Anagrams

• tractation

French

Etymology

From Old French attraction, from Latin attracti?.

Pronunciation

Noun

attraction f (plural attractions)

1. attraction (all senses)

Derived terms

• parc d'attractions

Descendants

• ? Hungarian: attrakció

Further reading

• “attraction” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

Use as "special skill" from 1580. Possibly from 14th century Middle English krak (“a sharp blow”), knakke, knakken, from Middle Low German, by onomatopoeia. Latter cognate to German knacken (“to crack”). See also crack.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /næk/
• Audio (UK)

• Rhymes: -æk

Noun

knack (plural knacks)

1. A readiness in performance; aptness at doing something. [from 1580]

   Synonyms: skill, facility, dexterity

   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 254a.

     The sophist runs for cover to the darkness of what is not and attaches himself to it by some knack of his;
2. A petty contrivance; a toy.

   Synonyms: plaything, knickknack, toy

3. Something performed, or to be done, requiring aptness and dexterity. [from mid 14th c.]

   Synonyms: trick, device

Derived terms

• knackless

Translations

Verb

knack (third-person singular simple present knacks, present participle knacking, simple past and past participle knacked)

1. (obsolete, Britain, dialect) To crack; to make a sharp, abrupt noise; to chink.
2. To speak affectedly.

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

Translations

References