different between conduct vs dispatch

English

Etymology

From Late Latin conductus (“defense, escort”), from Latin conductus, perfect passive participle of cond?c? (“bring together”); see also conduce. Doublet of conduit.

Pronunciation

• (noun)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k?nd?kt/
  • (US) enPR: k?n'd?kt, IPA^(key): /?k?nd?kt/
• (verb)
  • enPR: k?nd?kt', IPA^(key): /k?n?d?kt/
• Rhymes: -?kt

Noun

conduct (countable and uncountable, plural conducts)

1. The act or method of controlling or directing
   • 1785, William Paley, The Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy

     There are other restrictions imposed upon the conduct of war, not by the law of nature primarily, but by the laws of war first, and by the law of nature as seconding and ratifying the laws of war.

   • 1843, Henry Brougham, Political Philosophy

     the conduct of the state, the administration of its affairs, its policy, and its laws, are for more uncertain

2. Skillful guidance or management; leadership
   • 1722 (first printed) Edmund Waller, Poems, &c. written upon several occasions, and to several persons

     Conduct of armies is a prince's art.

   • 1769, William Robertson, The history of the reign of Emperor Charles V

     […] attacked the Spaniards […] with great impetuosity, but with so little conduct, that his forces were totally routed.

   • 1841, Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge Chapter 49

     At the head of that division which had Westminster Bridge for its approach to the scene of action, Lord George Gordon took his post; with Gashford at his right hand, and sundry ruffians, of most unpromising appearance, forming a kind of staff about him. The conduct of a second party, whose route lay by Blackfriars, was entrusted to a committee of management

3. behaviour; the manner of behaving

   Good conduct will be rewarded and likewise poor conduct will be punished.

   • 1840, James Fenimore Cooper, The Pathfinder

     when she came to recall the affectionate and natural manner of the young Indian girl, and all the evidences of good faith and sincerity she had seen in her conduct during the familiar intercourse of their journey, she rejected the idea with the unwillingness of a generous disposition to believe ill of others

   • 1848, Thomas Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James II

     All these difficulties were increased by the conduct of Shrewsbury.

   • 1711, John Dryden, Tenth Satire (translation from Latin of Juvenal)

     What in the conduct of our life appears / So well designed, so luckily begun, / But when we have our wish, we wish undone?

4. (of a literary work) plot; storyline
   • c. 1800, Thomas Macaulay, Essays, critical and miscellaneous

     The book of Job, indeed, in conduct and diction, bears a considerable resemblance to some of his dramas.

5. (obsolete) convoy; escort; person who accompanies another
   • 1599, Ben Jonson, Every Man out of His Humour

     I will be your conduct.
6. (archaic) Something which carries or conveys anything; a channel; an instrument.

Synonyms

• (act or method of controlling or directing): control, guidance, management
• (manner of guiding or carrying oneself): bearing, behavior/behaviour, deportment, demeanor/demeanour,
• (plot of a literary work): action, plot, storyline

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

conduct (third-person singular simple present conducts, present participle conducting, simple past and past participle conducted)

1. (archaic, transitive) To lead, or guide; to escort.
   • 1634, John Milton, Comus

     I can conduct you, lady, to a low / But loyal cottage, where you may be safe.

2. (transitive) To lead; to direct; to be in charge of (people or tasks)

   The commander conducted thousands of troops.

   to conduct the affairs of a kingdom

   • 1856-1858, William Hickling Prescott, History of the Reign of Phillip II

     the Turks, however efficient they may have been in field operations, had little skill as engineers, and no acquaintance with the true principles of conducting a siege

3. (transitive) (reflexively to conduct oneself) To behave.

   He conducted himself well.

4. (transitive) To serve as a medium for conveying; to transmit (heat, light, electricity, etc.)
   • 1975, Clive M. Countryman, Heat-Its Role in Wildland Fire Part 2

     Water and many other liquids do not conduct heat well. Wildland fuels in general, wood, and wood products conduct heat slowly, and so do soil and rocks.

5. (transitive, music) To direct, as the leader in the performance of a musical composition.
   • 2006, Michael R. Waters with Mark Long and William Dickens, Lone Star Stalag: German Prisoners of War at Camp Hearne

     For a while, Walter Pohlmann, a well-known German conductor, conducted the orchestra in Compound 3. Later, Willi Mets, who had conducted the world-renowned Leipzig Symphony Orchestra, conducted the Compound 3 orchestra.

6. (intransitive) To act as a conductor (as of heat, electricity, etc.); to carry.
7. (transitive) To carry out (something organized)

Synonyms

• (lead or guide): accompany, escort, guide, lead, steer, belead
• (direct): direct, lead, manage, oversee, run, supervise, belead
• (reflexively: to behave): act, behave, carry on
• (to serve as a medium for conveying): carry, convey, transmit

Derived terms

Translations

English

Alternative forms

• despatch (UK, Australia)

Etymology

From Spanish despachar or Italian dispacciare, replacing alternate reflex depeach, which is from French dépêcher. The first known use in writing (in the past tense, spelled as dispached) is by Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall in 1517. This would be unusually early for a borrowing from a Romance language other than French, but Tunstall had studied in Italy and was Commissioner to Spain, so this word may have been borrowed through diplomatic circles. The alternative spelling despatch was introduced in Samuel Johnson's dictionary, probably by accident.

Pronunciation

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /d??spæt?/
• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /d??spæt?/
• Rhymes: -æt?

Verb

dispatch (third-person singular simple present dispatches, present participle dispatching, simple past and past participle dispatched)

1. (transitive) To send (a shipment) with promptness.
2. (transitive) To send (a person) away hastily.
3. (transitive) To send (an important official message) promptly, by means of a diplomat or military officer.
4. (transitive) To send (a journalist) to a place in order to report.
5. (transitive) To dispose of speedily, as business; to execute quickly; to make a speedy end of; to finish; to perform.
6. (transitive) To rid; to free.
7. (transitive) To destroy quickly and efficiently.
8. (transitive, computing) To pass on for further processing, especially via a dispatch table (often with to).
9. (intransitive, obsolete) To hurry.
10. (transitive, obsolete) To deprive.

Synonyms

• destroy
• kill
• make haste
• send

Hyponyms

Related terms

• dispatch table
• happy dispatch

Translations

Noun

dispatch (countable and uncountable, plural dispatches)

1. A message sent quickly, as a shipment, a prompt settlement of a business, or an important official message sent by a diplomat, or military officer.
2. The act of doing something quickly.

   Synonyms: haste, hurry, rapidity

   • 1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond

     During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant […]
3. A mission by an emergency response service, typically attend to an emergency in the field.
4. (computing) The passing on of a message for further processing, especially via a dispatch table.
5. (obsolete) A dismissal.

Translations

Derived terms

• dispatcher
• dispatch case
• dispatch table