different between confer vs discus

English

Etymology

From Early Modern English conferre, from Middle French conférer, from Old French conferer, from Latin c?nfer?. Compare Dutch confereren (“to confer”), German konferieren (“to confer”), Danish konferere (“to confer”), Swedish konferera (“to confer”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /k?n?f??/, [k?????f?]
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /k?n?f??/
• Rhymes: -??(?)

Verb

confer (third-person singular simple present confers, present participle conferring, simple past and past participle conferred)

1. (transitive) To grant as a possession; to bestow. [from 16th c.]

   The college has conferred an honorary degree upon the visiting Prime Minister.

   • 1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes

     Nor shall I count in hainous to enjoy
     The public marks of honour and reward
     Conferr'd upon me […]

   • 2010, Andrew Rawnsley, The Observer, 7 Feb 2010:

     The special immunities that are conferred on MPs were framed with the essential purpose of allowing them to speak freely in parliament.
2. (intransitive) To talk together, to consult, discuss; to deliberate. [from 16th c.]

   They were in a huddle, conferring about something.

   • 1974, "A Traveler's Perils", Time, 25 Mar 1974:

     Local buttons popped when Henry Kissinger visited Little Rock last month to confer with Fulbright on the Middle East oil talks.

3. (obsolete) To compare. [16th–18th c.]
   • 1557 (book title):

     The Newe Testament ... Conferred diligently with the Greke, and best approued translations.

   • 1661, Robert Boyle, The Second Essay, of Unsucceeding Experiments

     If we confer these observations with others of the like nature, we may find cause to rectify the general opinion.

4. (obsolete, transitive) To bring together; to collect, gather. [16th–17th c.]
5. (obsolete) To contribute; to conduce. [16th–18th c.]
   • 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica

     The closeness and compactness of the parts resting together doth much confer to the strength of the union.

Synonyms

• (to grant, bestow, or contribute): afford

Derived terms

• conferment
• conferrable
• conferral
• agreement conferring jurisdiction

Related terms

• cf, cf.
• conference
• collate
• collation

Translations

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /?kon.fer/, [?kõ?f?r]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /?kon.fer/, [?k?nf?r]

Verb

c?nfer

1. second-person singular present active imperative of c?nfer?. Often abbreviated cf and used to mean "compare with".

English

Etymology

1656. From Latin discus, from Ancient Greek ?????? (dískos, “disk, quoit, platter”). Doublet of dais, desk, disc, dish, and disk.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?d?s.k?s/
• Rhymes: -?sk?s

Noun

discus (plural discuses)

1. A round plate-like object that is thrown for sport.
   • 2004, Frank Fitzpatrick, "The amazing story of the first discus medal winner", The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 18,

     He [Robert Garrett] won even though he hadn't ever touched a real discus until just before the event was held.

   • 2008, John Branch, "Estonia's Kanter Celebrates Gold Medal in the Discus His Way", The New York Times, August 23,

     [Gerd] Kanter had agreed to demonstrate his throwing skill on Friday, but rather than bringing his own discuses—he usually travels with about five of them, […]

2. (uncountable) The athletics sport of discus throwing.
   • 2008, "Weir lays down marker in Beijing", BBC, September 8,

     And Chris Martin took a silver medal in the discus on the opening day in the Bird's Nest, […]

3. (plural: discus) A discus fish (genus Symphysodon)
   • 2008, Carol Roberts, "History of Discus", North American Discus Association,

     The main body of the Amazon River is too fast, too deep, and too silt laden for discus.

4. (rare, dated) A chakram.
   • 1893, Krishna-Swaipayana Vyasa, translated by K. M. Ganguli, The Mahabharata, Adi Parva, Section XIX,

     And Narayana instantly cut off with his discus the well-adorned head of the Danava who was drinking the Amrita without permission.

   • 1899, Thomas William Rhys Davids (transl.), Digha Nikaya, "Sàmañña-Phàla Sutta",

     If with a discus with an edge sharp as a razor he should make all the living creatures on the earth one heap, one mass, of flesh, […]

Usage notes

• Although an alternative Latinate plural disci is often cited, it is hardly ever used in practice.

Synonyms

• (round plate): quoit

Derived terms

• discus fish
• discus throw
• discus thrower

Translations

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin discus, from Ancient Greek ?????? (dískos). First attested in the eighteenth century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?d?sk?s/
• Hyphenation: dis?cus
• Rhymes: -?sk?s

Noun

discus m (plural discussen, diminutive discusje n)

1. discus

   Synonym: werpschijf

Derived terms

• discuswerpen

Related terms

• dis
• disc
• diskette

Descendants

• ? Indonesian: diskus

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ?????? (dískos).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /?dis.kus/, [?d??s?k?s?]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /?dis.kus/, [?d?iskus]

Noun

discus m (genitive disc?); second declension

1. a discus, quoit
2. a dish shaped like a discus
3. disc of a sundial

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Descendants

• Old French: deis, dois
  • French: dais
  • ? Middle English: deis
    • English: dais
    • Scots: deas, deece
• Old Italian: desco
  • Italian: desco
  • ? Medieval Latin: desca
    • ? Middle English: deske, desque
      • English: desk
        • ? Irish: deasc
        • ? Welsh: desg
      • Scots: dask
• Old Occitan: [Term?]
  • Occitan: des
• Old Spanish: [Term?]
  • Spanish: desca, desga
• ? Albanian: dhisk
• ? Albanian: dishkë
  • Albanian: dishtë
• ? Asturian: discu
• ? Catalan: disc
• ? Danish: diskos
• ? Dutch: discus
• ? French: disque
  • ? English: disc
  • ? Norman: disque
  • ? Persian: ????? (disk)
  • ? Romanian: disc
• ? English: discus
• ? Galician: disco
• ? West Germanic: *disk (see there for further descendants)
• ? Hebrew: ??????????? (dískus)
• ? Italian: disco
• ? Portuguese: disco
• ? Spanish: disco
  • ? Basque: disko
• ? Swedish: diskus

References

• discus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• discus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• discus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• discus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• discus in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• discus in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin