different between compel vs urger

English

Etymology

From Middle English compellen, borrowed from Middle French compellir, from Latin compellere, itself from com- (“together”) + pellere (“to drive”). Displaced native Middle English fordriven ("to drive out, to lead to, to compel, to force"), from Old English fordr?fan. More at fordrive.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?m?p?l/
• Rhymes: -?l
• Hyphenation: com?pel

Verb

compel (third-person singular simple present compels, present participle compelling, simple past and past participle compelled)

1. (transitive, archaic, literally) To drive together, round up (Can we add an example for this sense?)
2. (transitive) To overpower; to subdue.
3. (transitive) To force, constrain or coerce.

   Logic compels the wise, while fools feel compelled by emotions.

   • 1600, William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, act 5, scene 1,

     Against my will, / As Pompey was, am I compell’d to set / Upon one battle all our liberties.

   • 1827, Henry Hallam, The Constitutional History of England

     Wolsey […] compelled the people to pay up the whole subsidy at once.

4. (transitive) To exact, extort, (make) produce by force.
5. (obsolete) To force to yield; to overpower; to subjugate.

   • Easy sleep their weary limbs compell'd.

   • ?, Alfred Tennyson, Geraint and Enid

     I compel all creatures to my will.

6. (obsolete) To gather or unite in a crowd or company.

   • in one troop compell'd

7. (obsolete) To call forth; to summon.

Derived terms

Related terms

• compulsion

Translations

References

• compel in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• “compel” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• Random House Webster’s Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.

English

Etymology

urge +? -er

Noun

urger (plural urgers)

1. One who urges.
   • 1844, Andrew Stevenson, The history of the church and state of Scotland (page 195)

     […] the contrivers, maintainers, and urgers of the service-book, and other grievous innovations […]

Anagrams

• Ruger, regur

French

Etymology

Back-formation from urgent; compare Latin urge?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /y?.?e/

Verb

urger

1. (usually impersonal, informal) To be urgent.

   Dépêche-toi, ça urge ! — Hurry up, it's urgent!

   Synonym: presser

Usage notes

• Do not confuse this verb with English to urge, which is usually transitive and has an active subject.

Conjugation

This is a regular -er verb, but the stem is written urge- before endings that begin with -a- or -o- (to indicate that the -g- is a “soft” /?/ and not a “hard” /?/). This spelling-change occurs in all verbs in -ger, such as neiger and manger.This verb is impersonal and is conjugated only in the third-person singular.Personal forms are occasionally found, and conjugate like manger.

Further reading

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