different between influence vs interest

English

Etymology

From Middle English influence, from Old French influence (“emanation from the stars affecting one's fate”), from Medieval Latin ?nfluentia, from Latin ?nflu?ns (“flowing in”), present active participle of ?nflu? (“flow into”), from in- (“in-”) + flu? (“flow”). Doublet of influenza.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??n.flu.?ns/
• Hyphenation: in?flu?ence

Noun

influence (countable and uncountable, plural influences)

1. The power to affect, control or manipulate something or someone; the ability to change the development of fluctuating things such as conduct, thoughts or decisions.

2. An action exerted by a person or thing with such power on another to cause change.

3. A person or thing exerting such power or action.

   • The animals were thoroughly frightened. It seemed to them as though Snowball were some kind of invisible influence, pervading the air about them and menacing them with all kinds of dangers.

4. (astrology) An element believed to determine someone's character or individual tendencies, caused by the position of the stars and planets at the time of one's birth.
5. (obsolete) The action of flowing in; influx.
   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     God hath his influence into the very essence of all things.

6. (electricity) Electrostatic induction.

Usage notes

• Adjectives often applied to "influence": cultural, political, social, economic, military, personal, moral, intellectual, mental, good, bad, positive, negative, beneficial, harmful, huge, big, heavy, significant, important, potential, actual, primary.

Hyponyms

• social influence

Derived terms

• influencer

Related terms

Translations

Verb

influence (third-person singular simple present influences, present participle influencing, simple past and past participle influenced)

1. (transitive) To have an effect on by using gentle or subtle action; to exert an influence upon; to modify, bias, or sway; to persuade or induce.

   The politician wants to influence the public.

   I must admit that this book influenced my outlook on life.

2. (intransitive) To exert, make use of one's influence.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To cause to flow in or into; infuse; instill.

Derived terms

• influenceable
• influencer
• influencive

Related terms

• influent
• influential
• influenza, flu

Translations

French

Etymology

From Old French influence, borrowed from Medieval Latin ?nfluentia, from Latin ?nflu?ns (“flowing in”), present active participle of ?nflu? (“flow into”), from in- (“in-”) + flu? (“flow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.fly.??s/

Noun

influence f (plural influences)

1. influence

Derived terms

• zone d'influence

Related terms

Verb

influence

1. first-person singular present indicative of influencer
2. third-person singular present indicative of influencer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of influencer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of influencer
5. second-person singular imperative of influencer

Further reading

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

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin ?nfluentia, from Latin ?nflu?ns (“flowing in”), present active participle of ?nflu? (“flow into”).

Noun

influence f (oblique plural influences, nominative singular influence, nominative plural influences)

1. inundation; flooding; influx of water
2. influence, especially viewed as a mystical force affecting one's fate

Descendants

• ? English: influence
• French: influence

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (influence, supplement)

English

Alternative forms

• enterest (obsolete)
• interess (obsolete)
• intherest (pronunciation spelling, suggesting an Irish accent)

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French interesse and interest (French intérêt), from Medieval Latin interesse, from Latin interesse.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??nt???st/, /??nt??st/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??nt???st/, /??nt??st/, /??nt???st/, /??nt??st/, /??nt??st/
• Hyphenation: in?ter?est

Noun

interest (usually uncountable, plural interests)

1. (uncountable, finance) The price paid for obtaining, or price received for providing, money or goods in a credit transaction, calculated as a fraction of the amount or value of what was borrowed. [from earlier 16th c.]

2. (uncountable, finance) Any excess over and above an exact equivalent
   • 1597, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, Act IV, sc 3:

     You shall have your desires with interest

3. (uncountable) A great attention and concern from someone or something; intellectual curiosity. [from later 18th c.]
4. (uncountable) Attention that is given to or received from someone or something.
5. (countable) An involvement, claim, right, share, stake in or link with a financial, business, or other undertaking or endeavor.

6. (countable) Something or someone one is interested in.

7. (uncountable) Condition or quality of exciting concern or being of importance
   • 1809, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Friend, Essay VIII:

     The conscience, indeed, is already violated when to moral good or evil we oppose things possessing no moral interest.

8. (obsolete, rare) Injury, or compensation for injury; damages.
9. (usually in the plural) The persons interested in any particular business or measure, taken collectively.

Synonyms

• (fraction of the amount or value of what was borrowed): cost of money, oker

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

interest (third-person singular simple present interests, present participle interesting, simple past and past participle interested)

1. To engage the attention of; to awaken interest in; to excite emotion or passion in, in behalf of a person or thing.

   It might interest you to learn that others have already tried that approach.

   Action films don't really interest me.

2. (obsolete, often impersonal) To be concerned with or engaged in; to affect; to concern; to excite.
   • 1633, John Ford, Perkin Warbeck

     Or rather, gracious sir, / Create me to this glory, since my cause / Doth interest this fair quarrel.

3. (obsolete) To cause or permit to share.
   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     The mystical communion of all faithful men is such as maketh every one to be interested in those precious blessings which any one of them receiveth at God's hands.

Antonyms

• bore
• disinterest

Derived terms

• interested
• interesting

Translations

Further reading

• "interest" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 171.

Anagrams

• Steinert, ernstite, inertest, insetter, interset, sternite, tres-tine, trientes

Dutch

Alternative forms

• interesse (obsolete)
• intrest

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Doublet of interesse.

Pronunciation

Noun

interest m (plural interesten, diminutive interestje n)

1. (finance) interest

Synonyms

• rente

Latin

Verb

interest

1. third-person singular present active indicative of intersum

References

• interest in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• interest in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• interest in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

Middle French

Noun

interest m (plural interests)

1. interest (great attention and concern from someone or something)