different between encounter vs assignation

English

Alternative forms

• incounter (archaic)
• encountre, incountre (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English encountren, from rom Anglo-Norman encountrer, Old French encontrer (“to confront”), from encontre (“against, counter to”), from Late Latin incontr? (“in front of”) itself from Latin in (“in”) + contr? (“against”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?n?ka?nt?/, /???ka?nt?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n?ka?nt?/, /???ka?nt?/
• Hyphenation: en?coun?ter
• Rhymes: -a?nt?(?)

Verb

encounter (third-person singular simple present encounters, present participle encountering, simple past and past participle encountered)

1. (transitive) To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly.
2. (transitive) To confront (someone or something) face to face.
3. (transitive, intransitive) To engage in conflict, as with an enemy.

   Three armies encountered at Waterloo.

Synonyms

(meet unexpectedly): cross paths

Translations

Noun

encounter (plural encounters)

1. A meeting, especially one that is unplanned or unexpected.

   • That was Selwyn's first encounter with the Ruthvens. A short time afterward at the opera Gerald dragged him into a parterre to say something amiable to one of the amiable débutante Craig girls—and Selwyn found himself again facing Alixe.

   • 1995, Maija Kalin, Coping with problems of understanding: repair sequences in coversations between native and non-native speakers:

     As they have planned the encounters, they mostly have control over the time limits.

2. A hostile, often violent meeting; a confrontation, skirmish, or clash, as between combatants.
3. (sports) A match between two opposing sides.

Synonyms

• (hostile meeting): clash, confrontation, brush, skirmish

Derived terms

• close encounter
• encounter group

Translations

Anagrams

• encountre

English

Etymology

From Middle English assignacioun, from Old French assignacion.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æs???ne???n/

Noun

assignation (countable and uncountable, plural assignations)

1. An appointment for a meeting, generally of a romantic or sexual nature.
2. The act of assigning or allotting; apportionment.
   • 1600, Philemon Holland, The Romane Historie

     This order being taken in the senate, as touching the appointment and assignation of those provinces.

3. A making over by transfer of title; assignment.

Usage notes

Modern usage confines the word to mean an agreed-upon place for illicit sex, but earlier usage is broader, and considerably more innocent.

Anagrams

• saginations

French

Etymology

From Latin ass?gn?ti?.

Pronunciation

Noun

assignation f (plural assignations)

1. (law) summons, subpoena

Related terms

• assigner

Further reading

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