different between doubt vs indecision

English

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English douten (“to be in doubt, feel unsure; to be afraid or worried; to hesitate; to be confused; to have respect or reverence”) [and other forms], from Old French douter, doter, duter (compare Middle French doubter), from Latin dubit?re (“to hesitate”), the present active infinitive of dubit? (“to be uncertain, doubt; to hesitate, waver in coming to an opinion; to consider, ponder”); the further etymology is uncertain, but one theory is that dubit? may be derived from dubius (“fluctuating, wavering; doubtful, dubious, uncertain”), from duhibius (“held as two”), from duo (“two”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh? (“two”)) + habe? (“to have, hold”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *g?eh?b?- (“to grab, take”)). Although the Middle English form of the word was spelled without a b, this letter was later introduced through the influence of the Latin words dubit?re and dubit?. However, the English word continued to be pronounced without the b sound.

The noun is derived from Middle English dout, doute (“uncertain feeling; questionable point; hesitation; anxiety, fear; reverence, respect; something to be feared, danger;”) [and other forms],from Old French doute, dote, dute (“uncertain feeling, doubt”), from doter, douter, duter (“to doubt; to be afraid of, fear”) (compare Middle French doubter; modern French douter (“to doubt; to suspect”)); see further etymology above.

Displaced Old English tw?o (“doubt”) and tw?o?an (“to doubt”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: dout, IPA^(key): /da?t/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /d??t/
• Rhymes: -a?t

Verb

doubt (third-person singular simple present doubts, present participle doubting, simple past and past participle doubted)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To be undecided about; to lack confidence in; to disbelieve, to question.

   Synonyms: distrust, mistrust
2. (transitive, archaic) To harbour suspicion about; suspect.
3. (transitive, archaic) To anticipate with dread or fear; to apprehend.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To fill with fear; to affright.
5. (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To dread, to fear.

Conjugation

Usage notes

• This is generally a stative verb that rarely takes the continuous inflection. See Category:English stative verbs
• In archaic usage, the phrase after "doubt" is what the doubter worries may be the case; in modern usage, that phrase is what the doubter worries may not be the case. Thus the archaic "I doubt he may be lying" is equivalent to the modern "I doubt he is telling the truth."
• In Scotland the archaic usage is still current but with a meaning boadened beyond worry: to doubt something is to consider it likely, so examples include not just "I doubt he's lying," but also "I doubt we'll arrive before dark."

Derived terms

Related terms

• dubiety
• dubious

Translations

Noun

doubt (countable and uncountable, plural doubts)

1. (uncountable, countable) Disbelief or uncertainty (about something); (countable) a particular instance of such disbelief or uncertainty.
2. (countable, obsolete or India) A point of uncertainty; a query.

Alternative forms

• dout (obsolete)

Derived terms

Translations

References

Further reading

• doubt on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

English

Etymology

From French indécision.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -???n
• IPA^(key): /?nd??s??(?)n/

Noun

indecision (usually uncountable, plural indecisions)

1. The inability to decide on a course of action, especially if two or more possibilities exist.
   • 1903, Kate Douglas Wiggin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, chapter 21:

     There was no indecision or delay in the establishment of their relations; Rebecca's heart flew like an arrow to its mark, and her mind, meeting its superior, settled at once into an abiding attitude of respectful homage.

Synonyms

• (inability to decide): indecisiveness

Translations