different between insult vs taunt

English

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle French insulter (modern French insulter (“to insult”)) or its etymon Latin ?nsult?re, present active infinitive of ?nsult? (“to spring, leap or jump at or upon; to abuse, insult, revile, taunt”), the frequentative form of ?nsili? (“to bound; to leap in or upon”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’) + sali? (“to bound, jump, leap; to spring forth; to flow down”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“to spring”)).

The noun is derived from Middle French insult (modern French insulte (“insult”)) or its etymon Late Latin insultus (“insult, reviling, scoffing”), from ?nsili? (“to bound; to leap in or upon”); see above.

Pronunciation

• Verb:
  • (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: ?ns?lt?, IPA^(key): /?n?s?lt/
• Noun:
  • enPR: ?n?s?lt, IPA^(key): /??ns?lt/
• Rhymes: -?lt
• Hyphenation: in?sult

Verb

insult (third-person singular simple present insults, present participle insulting, simple past and past participle insulted)

1. (transitive) To be insensitive, insolent, or rude to (somebody); to affront or demean (someone). [from 17th c.]

   Synonyms: disrespect, affront, disgrace, slander, discourtesy, offense

   Antonym: compliment
2. (transitive, also figuratively, obsolete) To assail, assault, or attack; (specifically, military) to carry out an assault, attack, or onset without preparation.
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To behave in an obnoxious and superior manner (against or over someone). [16th–19th c.]
4. (intransitive, obsolete, rare) To leap or trample upon.

Conjugation

Related terms

• insolence
• insultation

Translations

Noun

insult (countable and uncountable, plural insults)

1. (uncountable) Action or form of speech deliberately intended to be rude; (countable) a particular act or statement having this effect.

   Synonyms: affront, (slang) diss, (obsolete) insultation, (Britain) offence, (US) offense, pejorative, (US, colloquial) slam, slight, slur; see also Thesaurus:offense

   Antonym: compliment
2. (countable) Something that causes offence (for example, by being of an unacceptable quality).

   Synonyms: disgrace, outrage
3. (countable, medicine) Something causing disease or injury to the body or bodily processes; the injury so caused.
4. (countable, also figuratively, archaic) An assault or attack; (specifically, military, obsolete) an assault, attack, or onset carried out without preparation.
5. (countable, obsolete) An act of leaping upon.

Derived terms

• add insult to injury

Translations

References

Further reading

• insult on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• insult (medical) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• insult (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• sunlit, unlist, unslit

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /in?sul(t)/

Noun

insult m (plural insults)

1. insult

Related terms

• insultar

Further reading

• “insult” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [in?sult]

Verb

insult

1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of insulta

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /t??nt/, enPR: tônt
• (US) IPA^(key): /t?nt/, enPR: tônt
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /t?nt/, enPR: tänt
• Rhymes: -??nt, -??nt

Etymology 1

Middle French tanter (“to tempt, try, provoke”), variant of Old French tempter (“to try”). Doublet of tempt.

Verb

taunt (third-person singular simple present taunts, present participle taunting, simple past and past participle taunted)

1. to make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner.

Translations

Noun

taunt (plural taunts)

1. A scornful or mocking remark; a jeer or mockery

Translations

Etymology 2

Compare Old French tant (“so great”), French tant (“so much”), Latin tantus (“of such size, so great, so much”). See ataunt.

Adjective

taunt (comparative more taunt, superlative most taunt)

1. (obsolete, nautical) Very high or tall.

   a ship with taunt masts

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Totten to this entry?)

References

• taunt at OneLook Dictionary Search
• taunt in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.