different between earnest vs strong

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /??n?st/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???n?st/
• Homophone: Ernest

Etymology 1

From Middle English ernest, eornest, from Old English eornest, eornost, eornust (“earnestness, zeal, seriousness, battle”), from Proto-Germanic *ernustuz (“earnest, strength, solidity, struggle, fight”), a derivative of Proto-Germanic *arniz (“efficient, capable, diligent, sure”), from Proto-Indo-European *er- (“to cause to move, arouse, increase”). Cognate with West Frisian earnst (“earnest, seriousness”), Dutch ernst (“seriousness, gravity, earnest”), German Ernst (“seriousness, earnestness, zeal, vigour”), Icelandic ern (“brisk, vigorous”), Gothic ???????????????????????? (arniba, “secure, certain, sure”).

The adjective is from Middle English eornest, from Old English eornoste (“earnest, zealous, serious”), from the noun. Cognate with North Frisian ernste (“earnest”), Middle Low German ernest, ernst (“serious, earnest”), German ernst (“serious, earnest”).

Noun

earnest (uncountable)

1. Gravity; serious purpose; earnestness.
   • 1914, February 13, The Times, Obituary: Canon Augustus Jessopp

     He wrote well in a forcible, colloquial style, with the air of being tremendously in earnest, and full of knowledge which overflowed his pages, tricked out with somewhat boisterous illustrations.

   • c. 1575-a 1586, Sir Philip Sidney, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia

     Take heed that this jest do not one day turn to earnest.

   • c. 1592, William Shakespeare, Richard III: Act 5, Scene 1

     That high All-Seer which I dallied with

     Hath turn'd my feigned prayer on my head

     And given in earnest what I begg'd in jest.

2. Seriousness; reality; actuality (as opposed to joking or pretence)

Derived terms

• earnestful
• in earnest

Translations

Verb

earnest (third-person singular simple present earnests, present participle earnesting, simple past and past participle earnested)

1. (transitive) To be serious with; use in earnest.
   • 1602, Pastor Fido:

     Let's prove among ourselves our armes in jest, That when we come to earnest them with men, We may them better use.

Adjective

earnest (comparative earnester or more earnest, superlative earnestest or most earnest)

1. (said of an action or an utterance) Serious or honest
2. (with a positive sense) Focused in the pursuit of an objective; eager to obtain or do.

3. Intent; focused; showing a lot of concentration.

4. (said of a person or a person's character) Possessing or characterised by seriousness.

5. Strenuous; diligent.

6. Serious; weighty; of a serious, weighty, or important nature; important.

Derived terms

• earnestly
• earnestness
• in earnest

Translations

Etymology 2

Of uncertain origin; apparently related to erres. Compare also arles.

Noun

earnest (plural earnests)

1. A sum of money paid in advance as a deposit; hence, a pledge, a guarantee, an indication of something to come.

   • Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

   • 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society 2010, p. 365:

     But if all this was viewed by Gladstone and the Cabinet as an earnest of St Petersburg's future good intentions in Central Asia, then disillusionment was soon to follow.

Translations

See also

• Earnest
• earnest money

Etymology 3

earn +? -est

Verb

earnest

1. (archaic) second-person singular simple present form of earn

Anagrams

• Eastern, Saetern, Tareens, eastern, estrane, nearest, renates, sterane

English

Alternative forms

• strang (dialectal)

Etymology

From Middle English strong, strang, from Old English strong, strang (“strong, powerful, mighty, able; firm, constant, resolute, strenuous, hardy; hard, severe, fierce, stern, strict; bold, brave; valid, assured; effective, producing a great effect, potent; earnest; arduous, violent”), from Proto-Germanic *strangaz (“tight, strict, straight, strong”), from Proto-Indo-European *streng?- (“taut, stiff, tight”). Cognate with Scots strang (“strong”), Saterland Frisian strang, West Frisian string (“austere, strict, harsh, severe, stern, stark, tough”), Dutch streng (“strict, severe, tight”), German streng (“strict, severe, austere”), Swedish sträng, strang (“severe, strict, harsh”), Norwegian strang (“strong, harsh, bitter”), Norwegian streng (“strong, hard”), Icelandic strangur (“strict”), Latin string? (“tighten”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: str?ng, IPA^(key): /st???/, [st??????], [?t??????]
• (US) enPR: strông, IPA^(key): /st???/, [st??????], [?t??????]
• (Canada, cot–caught merger) enPR: str?ng, IPA^(key): /st???/, [st??????], [?t??????]
• Rhymes: -??

Adjective

strong (comparative stronger, superlative strongest)

1. Capable of producing great physical force.

2. Capable of withstanding great physical force.

3. (of water, wind, etc.) Having a lot of power.

4. Determined; unyielding.
   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp, chapter 10:

     It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.

5. Highly stimulating to the senses.

6. Having an offensive or intense odor or flavor.

8. Having a high concentration of an essential or active ingredient.

10. (specifically) Having a high alcoholic content.

    She gets up, and pours herself a strong one. - Eagles, Lying Eyes

11. (grammar) Inflecting in a different manner than the one called weak, such as Germanic verbs which change vowels.

12. (chemistry) That completely ionizes into anions and cations in a solution.

13. (military) Not easily subdued or taken.

14. Having wealth or resources.

15. (slang, US) Impressive, good.

16. Having a specified number of people or units.

17. (of a disease or symptom) Severe; very bad or intense.
    • 2005, Andrew Gaeddert, Healing Immune Disorders: Natural Defense-Building Solutions, North Atlantic Books, page 221:

      Physicians may diagnosis influenza by a throat culture or blood test, which may be important if you have a particularly strong flu, if your doctor suspects pneumonia or a bacterial infection.

18. (mathematics, logic) Having a wide range of logical consequences; widely applicable. (Often contrasted with a weak statement which it implies.)
19. (of an argument) Convincing.

Synonyms

• (capable of producing great physical force): forceful, powerful, derf
• (capable of withstanding great physical force): durable, tough, sturdy
• (determined, unyielding): ardent, determined, swith, unyielding, zealous
• (highly stimulating to the senses): extreme, intense
• (having an offensive or intense odor or flavor): rank
• (having a high concentration of an essential or active ingredient): concentrated, potent
• (having a high alcoholic content): hard
• (grammar: irregular): irregular
• (military: not easily subdued or taken): impregnable, inviolable, secure, unassailable, unattackable

Antonyms

• (capable of producing great physical force): forceless, weak
• (capable of withstanding great physical force): fragile
• (having a high concentration of an essential or active ingredient): diluted, impotent, weak
• (grammar: irregular): regular, weak
• (chemistry: that completely ionizes): weak
• (military: not easily subdued or taken): weak

Hyponyms

• ultra-strong

Translations

See also

• strength

Adverb

strong (not comparable)

1. In a strong manner.

Synonyms

• (in a strong manner): forcefully, powerfully, vigorously, strongly

Antonyms

• (in a strong manner): forcelessly, powerlessly, weakly

Translations

See also

• strong as an ox
• strong personality
• strong verb

Anagrams

• trongs

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English strang, form Proto-Germanic *strangaz.

Alternative forms

• stronge, stronke, stron, strange, straunge

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /str?n?/

Adjective

strong (plural and weak singular stronge, comparative strongere, superlative strongest)

1. strong

Antonyms

• feble
• weyk

Descendants

• English: strong
• Scots: strang
• Yola: straung

References

• “strong, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

From Old French estrange

Adjective

strong

1. Alternative form of straunge

Swedish

Etymology

Through Swedish slang, based on English strong, since 1922. There is also a form strång with a different sense since 1640.

Adjective

strong (comparative strongare, superlative strongast)

1. mentally and morally strong, courageous

Declension

Related terms

• strongt

References

• strong in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• strong in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Tok Pisin

Etymology

English strong

Adjective

strong

1. Capable of producing great physical force; strong.
2. Capable of withstanding great physical force; strong.
3. Determined, unyielding.

See also

• strongim
• strongpela

Noun

strong

1. Strength