different between bent vs earnest

English

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) enPR: b?nt, IPA^(key): /b?nt/
• Rhymes: -?nt

Etymology 1

From bend +? -t.

Verb

bent

1. simple past tense and past participle of bend

Adjective

bent (comparative benter or more bent, superlative bentest or most bent)

1. (Of something that is usually straight) folded, dented
2. (colloquial, chiefly Britain) corrupt, dishonest
3. (derogatory, colloquial, chiefly Britain) Homosexual.
4. Determined or insistent.

   Synonym: hell-bent
5. (Of a person) leading a life of crime.
6. (slang, soccer) inaccurately aimed

7. (colloquial, chiefly US) Suffering from the bends
8. (slang) High from both marijuana and alcohol.

Synonyms

• (folded, corrupt): crooked
• (homosexual): queer

Derived terms

• bent as a nine-bob note
• bent copper

Related terms

• (determined): hell-bent

Translations

Noun

bent (plural bents)

1. An inclination or talent.

2. A predisposition to act or react in a particular way.

3. The state of being curved, crooked, or inclined from a straight line; flexure; curvity.
   • 1648, John Wilkins, Mathematical Magick

     the force they have in the discharge , according to several bents

4. A declivity or slope, as of a hill.

   • Beneath the lowering brow, and on a bent,
     The temple stood of Mars armipotent

5. Particular direction or tendency; flexion; course.

   • bents and turns of the matter

6. (carpentry) A transverse frame of a framed structure; a subunit of framing.
   1. Such a subunit as a component of a barn's framing, joined to other bents by girts and summer beams.
   2. Such a subunit as a reinforcement to, or integral part of, a bridge's framing.
7. Tension; force of acting; energy; impetus.
   • 1707, John Norris, Practical Discourses Upon the Beatitudes of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

     the full bent and stress of the soul

Synonyms

• (an inclination or talent): disposition, predilection, proclivity, propensity, see also Thesaurus:predilection

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English bent, benet, from Old English *beonet (attested only in place-names and personal names), from Proto-West Germanic *binut (“reed, rush”), of uncertain origin.

Noun

bent (countable and uncountable, plural bents)

1. Any of various stiff or reedy grasses.
   • 1627, Michael Drayton, "Nymphidia", 1810 reprint page 124:

     His spear a bent, both stiff and strong.

   • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, ‘The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes’, The Phantom ’Rickshaw and Other Tales, Folio Society 2005, p. 121:

     Gunga Dass gave me a double handful of dried bents which I thrust down the mouth of the lair to the right of his, and followed myself, feet foremost [...].

   • 1913, D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 9

     Clusters of strong flowers rose everywhere above the coarse tussocks of bent.

2. A grassy area, grassland.
   • c. 1500, The Ballad of Chevy Chase

     Bowmen bickered upon the bent.

3. The old dried stalks of grasses.

Synonyms

(grass): bentgrass

Translations

Dutch

Etymology

Created in analogy to Dutch ben (“am”). Modern Dutch bent has replaced the Middle Dutch verb forms bes and best (“(you) are (sg.)”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?nt/
• Rhymes: -?nt

Verb

bent

1. second-person singular present indicative of zijn; are.

References

Hungarian

Etymology

From benn, following the example of alant and lent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?b?nt]
• Hyphenation: bent
• Rhymes: -?nt

Adverb

bent (comparative bentebb, superlative legbentebb)

1. inside

   Synonym: benn

   Antonyms: kinn, kint

References

Lithuanian

Adverb

bent

1. at least.

Old Norse

Participle

bent

1. strong neuter nominative/accusative singular of bendr

Verb

bent

1. supine of benda

Scots

Alternative forms

• bynt

Etymology

From Old English beonet, compare Middle English bent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b?nt/

Noun

bent (plural bents)

1. (archaic, 14th century) Coarse or wiry grass growing upon moorlands.
2. (archaic, 15th century) An area covered with coarse or wiry grass; a moor.

Derived terms

• benty (covered in bent)

Turkish

Etymology

From Persian ???? (band).

Noun

bent (definite accusative {{{1}}}, plural {{{2}}})

1. dam

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /??n?st/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???n?st/
• Homophone: Ernest

Etymology 1

From Middle English ernest, eornest, from Old English eornest, eornost, eornust (“earnestness, zeal, seriousness, battle”), from Proto-Germanic *ernustuz (“earnest, strength, solidity, struggle, fight”), a derivative of Proto-Germanic *arniz (“efficient, capable, diligent, sure”), from Proto-Indo-European *er- (“to cause to move, arouse, increase”). Cognate with West Frisian earnst (“earnest, seriousness”), Dutch ernst (“seriousness, gravity, earnest”), German Ernst (“seriousness, earnestness, zeal, vigour”), Icelandic ern (“brisk, vigorous”), Gothic ???????????????????????? (arniba, “secure, certain, sure”).

The adjective is from Middle English eornest, from Old English eornoste (“earnest, zealous, serious”), from the noun. Cognate with North Frisian ernste (“earnest”), Middle Low German ernest, ernst (“serious, earnest”), German ernst (“serious, earnest”).

Noun

earnest (uncountable)

1. Gravity; serious purpose; earnestness.
   • 1914, February 13, The Times, Obituary: Canon Augustus Jessopp

     He wrote well in a forcible, colloquial style, with the air of being tremendously in earnest, and full of knowledge which overflowed his pages, tricked out with somewhat boisterous illustrations.

   • c. 1575-a 1586, Sir Philip Sidney, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia

     Take heed that this jest do not one day turn to earnest.

   • c. 1592, William Shakespeare, Richard III: Act 5, Scene 1

     That high All-Seer which I dallied with

     Hath turn'd my feigned prayer on my head

     And given in earnest what I begg'd in jest.

2. Seriousness; reality; actuality (as opposed to joking or pretence)

Derived terms

• earnestful
• in earnest

Translations

Verb

earnest (third-person singular simple present earnests, present participle earnesting, simple past and past participle earnested)

1. (transitive) To be serious with; use in earnest.
   • 1602, Pastor Fido:

     Let's prove among ourselves our armes in jest, That when we come to earnest them with men, We may them better use.

Adjective

earnest (comparative earnester or more earnest, superlative earnestest or most earnest)

1. (said of an action or an utterance) Serious or honest
2. (with a positive sense) Focused in the pursuit of an objective; eager to obtain or do.

3. Intent; focused; showing a lot of concentration.

4. (said of a person or a person's character) Possessing or characterised by seriousness.

5. Strenuous; diligent.

6. Serious; weighty; of a serious, weighty, or important nature; important.

Derived terms

• earnestly
• earnestness
• in earnest

Translations

Etymology 2

Of uncertain origin; apparently related to erres. Compare also arles.

Noun

earnest (plural earnests)

1. A sum of money paid in advance as a deposit; hence, a pledge, a guarantee, an indication of something to come.

   • Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

   • 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society 2010, p. 365:

     But if all this was viewed by Gladstone and the Cabinet as an earnest of St Petersburg's future good intentions in Central Asia, then disillusionment was soon to follow.

Translations

See also

• Earnest
• earnest money

Etymology 3

earn +? -est

Verb

earnest

1. (archaic) second-person singular simple present form of earn

Anagrams

• Eastern, Saetern, Tareens, eastern, estrane, nearest, renates, sterane