different between chagrin vs grief

English

Alternative forms

• chagrine (obsolete)

Etymology

From French chagrin (“sorrow”), from Middle French chagrin (“pain, affliction”) (compare Middle French chagriner, chagrigner (“to experience sorrow”), Old French chagrin (“painful, afflicted”)), probably derived from Old Northern French chagreiner, chagraigner (“to sadden”), of uncertain origin. Likely an enlargement of Old French greignier, graignier (“to cringe, growl, be sullen, be angry, grieve over”), from Old French graigne (“sadness, resentment, grief”), from graim (“sorrowful”), related to Old High German gram (“furious, gloomy, grieved”). The initial syllable is obscure. It may represent Old French chat (“cat”) to express the idea of "lamenting or yowling like cats" (compare German Katzenjammer (“distress, frustration, depression, chagrin”, literally “cat-wailing, cat-misery”), katzbalgen (“to cat-fight”)).

An alternative theory is that it came from a metaphorical use of French chagrin, (peau de) chagrain (“a type of roughened leather”), with the connection of roughness, though some dictionaries consider this to be a separate word derived from Old French peau de sagrin, from Ottoman Turkish sa?r? (“the rump of an animal, skin for tawing”). The alteration of initial s to ch is likely due to influence from chagrin meaning "sorrow".

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??æ?.??n/
• (US) enPR: sh?-gr?n', IPA^(key): /??????n/

Noun

chagrin (countable and uncountable, plural chagrins)

1. Distress of mind caused by a failure of aims or plans, want of appreciation, mistakes etc; vexation or mortification.

   Synonyms: disquiet, fretfulness, mortification, peevishness, vexation

   • 1876, Louisa May Alcott, Rose In Bloom, ch. 8:

     [H]e alone knew how deep was the deluded man's chagrin at the failure of the little plot which he fancied was prospering finely.
2. A type of leather or skin with a rough surface.

   Synonym: shagreen

Usage notes

Often used in the form to one’s chagrin.

Descendants

• shagreen

Translations

See also

• disgust
• disappointment

Verb

chagrin (third-person singular simple present chagrins, present participle chagrining, simple past and past participle chagrined)

1. (transitive) To bother or vex; to mortify.
   • 1683, Daniel Defoe (attributed translator), An Account of Monsieur De Quesne’s Late Expedition at Chio, London: Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, p. 50,^[4]

     But since this Infidel Minister knows the folly of these Brags; which he sees destroy’d by the Relations Printed in other Countries: They serve only, for a Subject to augment his Pride; and gives him a Pleasure, the mor to Chagrine and Mortifie the French Ambassador.

   • 1748, Laetitia Pilkington, Memoirs, Dublin, Volume 3, p. 75,^[5]

     […] though you send at any Time, and even received an unmannerly Answer, do not let a rash Pride drive you to return the Affront, since it is impossible for you to know what at that Instant had chagrin’d their Temper.

   • 1764, William Shenstone, “The Progress of Taste,” Part I, in The Works in Verse and Prose of William Shenstone, London: R. & J. Dodsley, Volume I, p. 265,^[6]

     But friends and fav’rites, to chagrin them,

     Find counties, countries, seas, between them:

     Meet once a year, then part, and then

     Retiring, wish to meet again.

   • 1855, Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South, Chapter 40,^[7]

     He felt pretty sure that, if this interview took place, his mother's account of what passed at it would only annoy and chagrin him, though he would all the time be aware of the colouring which it received by passing through her mind.

   • 1970, Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye, New York: Pocket Books, 1972, “Autumn,” p. 23,^[8]

     She would go on like that for hours, connecting one offense to another until all of the things that chagrined her were spewed out.

2. (reflexive, obsolete, rare) To be vexed or annoyed.
   • 1760, Arthur Murphy, The Way to Keep Him, London: P. Vaillant, Act I, Scene 1, p. 8,^[9]

     Dear Ma’am, why will you chagrine yourself about a vile Man, that is not worth,—no, as I live and breathe,—not worth a single Sigh?—

Usage notes

The verb form is now mainly used in the passive voice.

Derived terms

• chagrined
• chagrining

Translations

Adjective

chagrin (comparative more chagrin, superlative most chagrin)

1. (obsolete) Feeling chagrin; annoyed; vexed, fretful.[17^th to 18^th centuries.]
   • 1673, John Dryden, Marriage a-la-mode, London: Henry Herringman, Act III, Scene 1, p. 33,^[10]

     Dear, my dear, pity me; I am so chagrin to day, and have had the most signal affront at Court!

   • 1718, Daniel Defoe, The Family Instructor, London: Emanuel Matthews, Volume 2, Dialogue 5, p. 390,^[11]

     […] instead of rejoycing at this Prosperity of his Family, which a true Father of his Children would have esteem’d his own, a Spirit of Envy and Discontent seized him, and he went away chagrine and melancholy.

   • 1728, Henry Fielding, Love in Several Masques, Act V, Scene 3, in The Works of Henry Fielding, Esq, London: W. Strahan et al., 1784, Volume I, p. 174,^[12]

     I wou’d not have your ladyship chagrin at my bride’s expression […]

   • 1758, “Captain T—of BATTEREAU’s Regiment in the Isle of SKIE to Captain P— at Fort AUGUSTUS” in Robert Dodsley (ed.), A Collection of Poems in Six Volumes, London: R. & J. Dodsley, p. 243,^[13]

     All pensive, heartless, and chagrine

     I sit, devoted prey to spleen;

Synonyms

• chagrined

Translations

References

Anagrams

• Charing, arching, chargin', charing

French

Etymology

From chagriner, perhaps from Frankish *gram, akin to German Gram

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?a.????/

Noun

chagrin m (plural chagrins)

1. sorrow, grief, chagrin

Derived terms

• esprit chagrin
• chagrin d'amour
• peau de chagrin

Adjective

chagrin (feminine singular chagrine, masculine plural chagrins, feminine plural chagrines)

1. (literary) despondent, woeful
2. (literary) disgruntled, morose

Related terms

• chagrinant
• chagriner

References

Further reading

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

Louisiana Creole French

Etymology

From French chagrin (“sorrow”), compare Haitian Creole chagrin.

Verb

chagrin

1. to be sorry

References

• Alcée Fortier, Louisiana Folktales

English

Etymology

From Middle English greef, gref, from Old French grief (“grave, heavy, grievous, sad”), from Latin gravis (“heavy, grievous, sad”). Doublet of grave.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??i?f/
• Rhymes: -i?f

Noun

grief (countable and uncountable, plural griefs or grieves)

1. Suffering, hardship. [from early 13th c.]
2. Pain of mind arising from misfortune, significant personal loss, bereavement, misconduct of oneself or others, etc.; sorrow; sadness. [from early 14th c.]
3. (countable) Cause or instance of sorrow or pain; that which afflicts or distresses; trial.

Derived terms

• give someone grief

Translations

Verb

grief (third-person singular simple present griefs, present participle griefing, simple past and past participle griefed)

1. (online gaming) To deliberately harass and annoy or cause grief to other players of a game in order to interfere with their enjoyment of it; especially, to do this as one’s primary activity in the game. [from late 1990s]

Usage notes

• This verb is most commonly found in the gerund-participle griefing and the derived noun griefer.

Related terms

• grievance
• grieve
• grievous

Further reading

• grief on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• griefer on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• grief in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• grief in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• grief at OneLook Dictionary Search

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch grief, from Old French grief, from Vulgar Latin *grevis, from Latin gravis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?rif/
• Hyphenation: grief
• Rhymes: -if

Noun

grief f (plural grieven, diminutive griefje n)

1. (chiefly in the plural) grievance, complaint, bone to pick, issue

Derived terms

• grieven

French

Etymology

From Old French grief, from Vulgar Latin grevis (influenced by its antonym, levis), from Latin gravis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *g?réh?us. Doublet of grave.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??i.j?f/

Adjective

grief (feminine singular griève, masculine plural griefs, feminine plural grièves)

1. (archaic, literary) grievous

Derived terms

• grièvement

Noun

grief m (plural griefs)

1. complaint
2. grief
3. grievance (formal complaint filed with an authority)

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• figer

Ladin

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *grevis, from Latin gravis.

Adjective

grief m (feminine singular grieva, masculine plural griefs, feminine plural grieves)

1. arduous
2. difficult
3. steep

Old French

Alternative forms

• gref (typically Anglo-Norman)

Etymology

Probably from the verb grever, or from Vulgar Latin grevis (influenced by its antonym, levis), from Latin gravis.

Noun

grief m (oblique plural griés, nominative singular griés, nominative plural grief)

1. pain; anguish; suffering

Descendants

• French: grief
• ? Middle Dutch: grief
  • Dutch: grief
• ? Middle English: greef, gref
  • English: grief

Adjective

grief m (oblique and nominative feminine singular grieve)

1. sad

Descendants

• French: grief (archaic, literary)