different between caress vs embrace

English

Etymology

From French caresse, from Italian carezza (“dear”), from Latin c?rus (“dear”), from Proto-Indo-European *keh?-, akin to Sanskrit ??? (k?ma, “love”). Doublet of karezza.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k????s/
• Rhymes: -?s

Noun

caress (plural caresses)

1. An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness. [from 1640s]
   • 1855, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Song of Hiawatha
2. A gentle stroking or rubbing.

Translations

Verb

caress (third-person singular simple present caresses, present participle caressing, simple past and past participle caressed)

1. (transitive) To touch or kiss lovingly; to fondle.

   Synonyms: hold, soothe, stroke, kiss; see also Thesaurus:fondle, Thesaurus:kiss

2. (transitive) To affect as if with a caress.
   • 2012, Mel Berry, Graceful Intentions (page 1)

     The love and anguish in his voice caressed my mind and soul.

Translations

Anagrams

• Crases, SERCAs, carses, casers, crases, sacres, scares, seracs, séracs

English

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English embracen (“to clasp in one's arms, embrace; to reach out eagerly for, welcome; to enfold, entwine; to ensnare, entangle; to twist, wrap around; to gird, put on; to lace; to be in or put into bonds; to put a shield on the arm; to grasp (a shield or spear); to acquire, take hold of; to receive; to undertake; to affect, influence; to incite; to unlawfully influence a jury; to surround; to conceal, cover; to shelter; to protect; to comfort; to comprehend, understand”) [and other forms], from Old French embracer, embracier (“to kiss”) (modern French embrasser (“to kiss; (dated) to embrace, hug”)), from Late Latin *imbracchi?re, from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’)) + bracchium (“arm”). The English word is analysable as em- +? brace.

The noun is derived from the verb.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?b?e?s/, /?m?b?e?s/
• Rhymes: -e?s
• Hyphenation: em?brace

Verb

embrace (third-person singular simple present embraces, present participle embracing, simple past and past participle embraced)

1. (transitive) To clasp (someone or each other) in the arms with affection; to take in the arms; to hug.

   Synonyms: fall on someone's neck; see also Thesaurus:embrace
2. (transitive, figuratively) To seize (something) eagerly or with alacrity; to accept or take up with cordiality; to welcome.
3. (transitive, figuratively) To submit to; to undergo.

   Synonym: accept
4. (transitive, also figuratively) To encircle; to enclose, to encompass.

   Synonyms: entwine, surround
5. (transitive, figuratively) To enfold, to include (ideas, principles, etc.); to encompass.
6. (transitive, obsolete, rare) To fasten on, as armour.
7. (transitive, figuratively, obsolete) To accept (someone) as a friend; to accept (someone's) help gladly.
8. (transitive, law, figuratively, obsolete) To attempt to influence (a court, jury, etc.) corruptly; to practise embracery.

Conjugation

Alternative forms

• imbrace (obsolete)

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

embrace (plural embraces)

1. An act of putting arms around someone and bringing the person close to the chest; a hug.
2. (figuratively) An enclosure partially or fully surrounding someone or something.
3. (figuratively) Full acceptance (of something).
4. (figuratively) An act of enfolding or including.

Derived terms

• deadly embrace
• half-embrace
• marital embrace

Translations

Notes

References

Further reading

• embrace (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Spanish

Verb

embrace

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of embrazar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of embrazar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of embrazar.
4. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of embrazar.