different between boon vs reward

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???w??d/, /???w??d/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /???w??d/, /???w??d/, /?i?w??d/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /???w??(?)d/
• Rhymes: -??(?)d

Etymology 1

From Middle English reward, rewarde, from Old French reward (“reward”) (compare Old French regard, whence modern French regard, and also English regard through Middle French), from rewarder (“to reward”) (compare Old French reguarder), from re- + warder (“to guard, keep”) (compare Old French guarder); the Anglo-Norman forms are derived from Old Northern French variants of Old French, ultimately of Germanic (Frankish) origin. Compare regard, warden, guard. See more below.

Displaced native Middle English lean (“reward”), from Old English l?an (“reward”); Middle English schipe, schepe (“reward, wage”), from Old English scipe (“wages, payment, reward”). Partially displaced Middle English meed, mede (“reward, meed, recompense”), from Old English m?d (“reward, meed, recompense”).

Noun

reward (plural rewards)

1. Something of value given in return for an act.

   Synonyms: payment, recompense, tithing, meed

   Antonym: punishment

2. A prize promised for a certain deed or catch

   Synonym: bounty

3. The result of an action, whether good or bad.

   Synonym: consequence

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English rewarden, from Anglo-Norman rewarder (“to reward”) (compare Old French reguarder, whence modern French regarder, also English regard through Middle French), from re- + warder (“to guard, keep”), from Old Northern French [Term?], from Frankish *ward?n (“to guard, keep”), from Proto-Germanic *ward?n? (“to guard, defend”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover, shelter, defend, guard, shut”). Cognate with Old Saxon ward?n (“to guard, provide for, protect”), Old English weardian (“to watch, guard, keep”), Old High German wart?n (“to watch, keep, look after”). More at ward.

Verb

reward (third-person singular simple present rewards, present participle rewarding, simple past and past participle rewarded)

2. (transitive) To give a reward to or for.

3. (transitive) To recompense.
4. (obsolete, transitive) To give (something) as a reward.
   • Thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

Derived terms

• rewardable
• rewarder
• rewarding
• unrewarded

Related terms

• award

Translations

Further reading

• reward in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• reward in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Warder, drawer, redraw, warder, warred