different between boon vs avail

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bu?n/
• Rhymes: -u?n

Etymology 1

From Middle English boon (“prayer”), from Old Norse bón (“prayer, petition”), from Proto-Germanic *b?niz (“supplication”), influenced by boon (“good, favorable”, adj). Doublet of ben; see there for more.

Noun

boon (plural boons)

1. (obsolete) A prayer; petition.
2. (archaic) That which is asked or granted as a benefit or favor; a gift or benefaction.
   • 1881, The Bible (English Revised Version), James 1:17:

     Every good gift and every perfect boon is from above [...]

   • 1872, James De Mille, The Cryptogram:^[1]

     I gave you life. Can you not return the boon by giving me death, my lord?

3. A good thing; a blessing or benefit; a thing to be thankful for.

4. (Britain, dialectal) An unpaid service due by a tenant to his lord.

Synonyms

• (a thing received) See gift and favor
• (a good thing) blessing; benefit

Antonyms

• bane

Translations

See also

• boon and bane
• boon or bane

Etymology 2

From Middle English boon, bone, borrowed from Old Northern French boon, from Old French bon (“good”), from Latin bonus (“good”), from Old Latin duonus, dvenos, from Proto-Indo-European *d?- (“to respect”).

Adjective

boon (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) Good; prosperous.

2. (archaic) Kind; bountiful; benign.

   • Which […] Nature boon / Poured forth profuse on hill, and dale, and plain.

3. (now only in boon companion) gay; merry; jovial; convivial.
   • 1712, John Arbuthnot, The History of John Bull

     a boon companion, loving his bottle

   • Episode 16

     ?No, Mr Bloom repeated again, I wouldn't personally repose much trust in that boon companion of yours who contributes the humorous element, if I were in your shoes.

   • Les Misérables (musical), "Master of the House," second and third refrains, fifth line:

     (2) "Everybody's boon companion, / Everybody's chaperon"; (3) "Everybody's boon companion: / Give[s] 'em everything he's got"

Related terms

• bounty

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English bone (North), akin to or alteration of Old English bune (“reed”).

Noun

boon (uncountable)

1. The woody portion of flax, separated from the fiber as refuse matter by retting, braking, and scutching.

Synonyms

• shive, shove

References

Anagrams

• Bono, NOBO, Obon, noob

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch boon, from Middle Dutch bône, from Old Dutch *b?na, from Proto-Germanic *baun?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b???n/

Noun

boon (plural bone, diminutive boontjie)

1. bean

Descendants

• ? Xhosa: imbotyi (from the diminutive)

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch bône, from Old Dutch *b?na, from Proto-Germanic *baun?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bo?n/
• (Belgium) IPA^(key): [bo?n]
• (Netherlands) IPA^(key): [bo??n]
• (Netherlands)
• Hyphenation: boon
• Rhymes: -o?n

Noun

boon f or m (plural bonen, diminutive boontje n)

1. bean

Hypernyms

• peulvrucht

Derived terms

• blauwe boon
• bonenkruid
• bruine boon
• cacaoboon
• kidneyboon
• koffieboon
• rumboon
• snijboon
• sojaboon
• sperzieboon
• tuinboon
• witte boon

Descendants

• Afrikaans: boon
  • ? Xhosa: imbotyi (from the diminutive)
• ? Indonesian: buncis (from the diminutive plural)
• ? Javanese: buncis (from the diminutive plural)
• ? Papiamentu: bonchi (from the diminutive)
• ? Sranan Tongo: bonki (from the diminutive)

Middle English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bo?n/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old Norse bón, from Proto-Germanic *b?niz.

Alternative forms

• bone

Noun

boon (plural boons or boonen)

1. prayer, supplication, request
2. boon, bonus

Descendants

• English: boon
• Scots: boon

Etymology 2

From Old English b?n.

Noun

boon (plural boons)

1. Alternative form of bon

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Old Northern French boon, from Old French bon (“good”).

Alternative forms

• bone

Adjective

boon

1. good

Descendants

• English: boon

English

Etymology

From Middle English availen (“to be of use”), from Old French a (“to”) + vail (from valoir (“to be worth”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??ve?l/
• Rhymes: -e?l

Verb

avail (third-person singular simple present avails, present participle availing, simple past and past participle availed)

1. (transitive, often reflexive) To turn to the advantage of.

2. (transitive) To be of service to.

3. (transitive) To promote; to assist.

4. (intransitive) To be of use or advantage; to answer or serve the purpose; to have strength, force, or efficacy sufficient to accomplish the object.
5. (India, Africa, elsewhere proscribed) To provide; to make available.

Antonyms

• disavail

Derived terms

• available
• disavail

Related terms

Translations

Noun

avail (plural avails)

1. Effect in achieving a goal or aim; purpose, use (now usually in negative constructions). [from 15^thc.]
   • Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.

   • 2014, Paul Doyle, "Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter", The Guardian, 18 October:

     At half-time, Poyet replaced Wes Brown with Liam Bridcutt in the heart of defence and sent out the rest of the players to atone for their first-half mistakes. To no avail.

2. (now only US) Proceeds; profits from business transactions. [from 15^thc.]
   • 1862, Elijah Porter Barrows, The State And Slavery

     the avails of their own industry

3. (television, advertising) An advertising slot or package.
4. (US, politics, journalism) A press avail.

5. (Britain, acting) Non-binding notice of availability for work.
6. (oil industry) A readily available stock of oil.
7. (obsolete) Benefit; value, profit; advantage toward success. [15^th-19^thc.]
8. (obsolete, poetic) Effort; striving.

Usage notes

• (success or benefit): Very often encountered in negative phrases, such as of or to no or little avail.

Translations

Anagrams

• Alavi, Alvia, Avila