different between friendly vs befriend

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?f??ndli/, /?f??nli/

Etymology 1

From Middle English frendly, freendly, frendely, frendlich, from Old English fr?ondl??, from Proto-Germanic *frij?ndl?kaz, equivalent to friend +? -ly. Cognate with Saterland Frisian früntelk, fjuntelk (“friendly”), West Frisian freonlik (“friendly”), Dutch vriendelijk (“friendly”), German Low German fründelk, frünnelk (“friendly”), German freundlich (“friendly”).

Adjective

friendly (comparative friendlier or more friendly, superlative friendliest or most friendly)

1. Generally warm, approachable and easy to relate with in character.
2. Inviting, characteristic of friendliness.

3. Having an easy or accepting relationship with something.

4. Without any hostility.
5. Promoting the good of any person; favourable; propitious.

   • On the first friendly bank he throws him down.

6. (military) Of or pertaining to friendlies (friendly noun sense 2, below). Also applied to other bipolar confrontations, such as team sports
7. (number theory) Being or relating to two or more natural numbers with a common abundancy.

8. (in compounds) Compatible with, or not damaging to (the compounded noun).

Antonyms

• hostile
• unfriendly

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

friendly (plural friendlies)

1. (sports) A game which is of no consequence in terms of ranking, betting etc.

   This match is merely a friendly, so don't worry too much about it.
2. A person or entity on the same side in a conflict.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English frendly, frendliche, from Old English fr?ondl??e (“in a friendly manner”), equivalent to friend +? -ly.

Adverb

friendly (comparative more friendly, superlative most friendly)

1. (archaic) In a friendly manner, like a friend.

Synonyms

• amicably, friendlily

Translations

English

Etymology

From be- +? friend. Compare Saterland Frisian befrüündje (“to befriend”), Dutch bevrienden (“to befriend”), German Low German befründen (“to befriend”),German befreunden (“to befriend”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: b?fr?nd, IPA^(key): /b??f??nd/
• Rhymes: -?nd

Verb

befriend (third-person singular simple present befriends, present participle befriending, simple past and past participle befriended)

1. (transitive) To become a friend of, to make friends with.
   • 1854, Henry David Thoreau, Walden, p. 143.

     Every little pine needle expanded and swelled with sympathy and befriended me.
2. (transitive, dated) To act as a friend to, to assist.
   • 1731, Jonathan Swift, Directions to Servants

     Brother servants must always befriend one another.
3. (transitive) To favor.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

     If it will please Caesar / To be so good to Caesar, as to hear me, / I shall beseech him to befriend himself.

   • 1709, John Denham "The Sophy", in Poems and translations: with the Sophy, a tragedy, Fifth edition [1]

     Now if your plots be ripe, you are befriended / With opportunity.

   • 1709, Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism

     Be thou the first true merit to befriend; / His praise is lost, who stays till all commend.

   • 1712, Joseph Addison, Cato: A tragedy. As it is acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane, by His Majesty's servants, Act II, edited and published by Jacob Tonson (1733)

     See them embarked, And tell me if the winds and seas befriend them.

   • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, ch. 4, "Morrison's Pill"

     This Universe has its Laws. If we walk according to the Law, the Law-Maker will befriend us; if not, not.

Antonyms

• befoe
• defriend
• unfriend

Derived terms

• befriender
• befriendment
• unbefriended
• unbefriending

Related terms

• friend
• friendly

Translations