different between kind vs soft

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: k?nd, IPA^(key): /ka?nd/
• Rhymes: -a?nd

Etymology 1

From Middle English kynde, kunde, cunde, icunde, from Old English cynd (“generation, kind, nature, race”), ?ecynd, from Proto-Germanic *kundiz, *gakundiz, related to *kunj?. Cognate with Icelandic kind (“race, species, kind”). Doublet of gens, genesis, and jati. See also kin.

Alternative forms

• kinde, kynd, kynde (obsolete)

Noun

kind (plural kinds)

1. A type, race or category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together.
2. A makeshift or otherwise atypical specimen.
   • 1884, Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter VIII

     I got my traps out of the canoe and made me a nice camp in the thick woods. I made a kind of a tent out of my blankets to put my things under so the rain couldn't get at them.

3. (archaic) One's inherent nature; character, natural disposition.
4. (archaic) Family, lineage.
5. (archaic) Manner.
7. Goods or services used as payment, as e.g. in barter.
   • 1691, John Dryden, Prologue to King Arthur

     Some of you, on pure instinct of nature, / Are led by kind t'admire your fellow-creature.

8. Equivalent means used as response to an action.

9. (Christianity) Each of the two elements of the communion service, bread and wine.

Usage notes

In sense “goods or services” or “equivalent means”, used almost exclusively with “in” in expression in kind.

Synonyms

• genre
• sort
• type
• derivative

(1) and/or (2)

• generation
• offspring
• child
• See also Thesaurus:class

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English kinde, kunde, kende, from Old English cynde, ?ecynde (“innate, natural, native”), from Old English cynd, ?ecynd (“nature, kind”).

Alternative forms

• kinde (obsolete)

Adjective

kind (comparative kinder, superlative kindest)

1. Having a benevolent, courteous, friendly, generous, gentle, liberal, sympathetic, or warm-hearted nature or disposition, marked by consideration for – and service to – others.
2. Affectionate.
   • 1770, Oliver Goldsmith, The Deserted Village

     Yet was he kind, or if severe in aught, / The love he bore to learning was in fault.

3. Favorable.
4. Mild, gentle, forgiving

5. Gentle; tractable; easily governed.

6. (obsolete) Characteristic of the species; belonging to one's nature; natural; native.
   • c. 1385, William Langland, Piers Plowman, I:

     ?et haue I no kynde knowing quod I · ?et mote ?e kenne me better.

   • it becommeth sweeter than it should be, and loseth the kind tast.

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

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:affectionate

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• Kind in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• DINK, dink

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch kind, from Middle Dutch kint, from Old Dutch kint, from Proto-Germanic *kind? (“offspring”), from Proto-Indo-European *?enh?tóm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?nt/

Noun

kind (plural kinders)

1. child

Anagrams

• dink

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse kinn, from Proto-Germanic *kinnuz, from Proto-Indo-European *?énu- (“cheek”). Compare Swedish kind, Norwegian and Icelandic kinn, Low German and German Kinn, Dutch kin, English chin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ken/, [k?en?]

Noun

kind c (singular definite kinden, plural indefinite kinder)

1. cheek

Inflection

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch kint, from Old Dutch kint, from Proto-West Germanic *kind (“offspring”), from Proto-Germanic *kind? (“offspring”), from Proto-Indo-European *?enh?tóm (“that which is produced, that which is given birth to”), related to *?n?h?tós (“produced, given birth”), from *?enh?- (“to produce, to give birth”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?nt/
• Hyphenation: kind
• Rhymes: -?nt

Noun

kind n (plural kinderen or kinders, diminutive kindje n or kindertje n or kindeken n or kindelijn n)

1. child, kid, non-adult human

2. descendant, still a minor or irrespective of age

   In sommige patriarchale tradities blijven kinderen levenslang onvoorwaardelijk onderworpen aan het vaderlijk gezag, zoals aanvankelijk in het Oude Rome, in andere houdt een zoon op kind te zijn door zijn eigen gezin te stichten

   In certain patriarchal traditions, children remain subject to unconditional paternal authority for life, as originally in Ancient Rome, in other ones a son ceases to be a child by founding his own family

   Synonyms: afstammeling, telg

3. (figuratively) product of influence, breeding etc.

Usage notes

• The normal plural is kinderen. The form kinders is heard colloquially, often also humorously.
• In compounds, the word can take the form kinder- or kind- as a tail. The former is used more often, however.
• The dimunitive kindelijn is now archaic, but can still be found in some fossilized songs and religious texts.

Derived terms

See also

• dochter
• zoon
• blaag

Descendants

• Afrikaans: kind

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse kind, from Proto-Germanic *kinþiz, cognate with Latin g?ns (“clan, tribe”). The sense of “sheep” is derived from the compound sauðkind, literally “sheep-kind”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /c??nt/
• Rhymes: -?nt

Noun

kind f

1. (obsolete) race, kind, kin
2. a sheep (especially a ewe)
3. (dated) used as a term of disparagement for a girl (or woman)

Declension

Synonyms

• (sheep): rolla, sauðkind

Derived terms

• kindarlegur
• mannkind
• sauðkind

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse kind f, from Proto-Germanic *kinþiz, from Proto-Indo-European *?énh?tis. Akin to English kind.

Noun

kind m (definite singular kinden, indefinite plural kindar, definite plural kindane)
kind n (definite singular kindet, indefinite plural kind, definite plural kinda)

1. a child in a cradle

References

• “kind” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *kinþiz. Compare Latin g?ns (“clan, tribe”).

Noun

kind f (genitive kindar, plural kindir or kindr)

1. race, kind, kin
2. creature, being

Declension

Derived terms

• mannkind
• sauðkind

Descendants

• Icelandic: kind f

References

• kind in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *kind (“child”).

Noun

kind n

1. child

Declension

Descendants

• Middle Low German: kind, kint, kynd
  • Dutch Low Saxon: kind, kiend, keend
  • German Low German: Kind
  • ? Old Frisian: kind
    • West Frisian: kyn

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse kinn, from Proto-Germanic *kinnuz, from Proto-Indo-European *?énu- (“cheek”). Compare Danish kind, Norwegian and Icelandic kinn, German Kinn, Dutch kin, English chin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??nd/

Noun

kind c

1. (anatomy) cheek; a part of the face.

Declension

Zealandic

Etymology

From Middle Dutch kint

Noun

kind n (plural kinders)

1. child

English

Etymology

From Middle English softe, from Old English s?fte, alteration of earlier s?fte (“soft”), from Proto-West Germanic *samft? (“level, even, smooth, soft, gentle”) (compare *s?miz (“agreeable, fitting”)), from Proto-Indo-European *semptio-, *semtio-, from *sem- (“one, whole”). Cognate with West Frisian sêft (“gentle; soft”), Dutch zacht (“soft”), German Low German sacht (“soft”), German sanft (“soft, yielding”), Old Norse sœmr (“agreeable, fitting”), samr (“same”). More at seem, same.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: s?ft, IPA^(key): /s?ft/
  • (Conservative RP) IPA^(key): /s??ft/
• (General American) enPR: sôft, IPA^(key): /s?ft/
• (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /s?ft/, enPR: s?ft
• Rhymes: -?ft

Adjective

soft (comparative softer, superlative softest)

1. Easily giving way under pressure.

2. (of cloth or similar material) Smooth and flexible; not rough, rugged, or harsh.
3. (of a sound) Quiet.
4. Gentle.

   There was a soft breeze blowing.

   • c. 1533, William Tyndale, An exposicion upon of Mathew

     The meek or soft shall inherit the earth.

5. Expressing gentleness or tenderness; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind.
   • 1815, William Wordsworth, To a Highland Girl

     A face with gladness overspread, / Soft smiles, by human kindness bred.

6. Gentle in action or motion; easy.
7. Weak in character; impressible.
   • 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica

     The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's.

8. Requiring little or no effort; easy.
   • 1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, The Beach of Falesá

     Before that they had been a good deal on the move, trekking about after the white man, who was one of those rolling stones that keep going round after a soft job.

9. Not bright or intense.

10. Having a slight angle from straight.

11. (linguistics) Voiced; sonant.
    • 1954, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

      DH represents the voiced (soft) th of English these clothes.

12. (linguistics, rare) voiceless
13. (linguistics, Slavic languages) palatalized
14. (slang) Lacking strength or resolve; not tough, wimpy.

15. (of water) Low in dissolved calcium compounds.

16. (Britain, colloquial) Foolish.
    • 1621, Robert Burton, The Essential Anatomy of Melancholy

      He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as were foolish quite mad.

17. (physics) Of a ferromagnetic material; a material that becomes essentially non-magnetic when an external magnetic field is removed, a material with a low magnetic coercivity. (compare hard)
18. (of a person) Physically or emotionally weak.
19. Incomplete, or temporary; not a full action.

20. (Britain, of a man) Effeminate.
    • 1650, Jeremy Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living

      A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft, and wandering.

21. Agreeable to the senses.
22. Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring or jagged; pleasing to the eye.
    • 1673, Edward Browne, A Brief Account of some Travels in Hungaria, Styria, Bulgaria, Thessaly, Austria, Serbia, Carynthia, Carniola, and Friuli

      The sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds […] made the softest lights imaginable.

23. (photography, of light) Made up of nonparallel rays, tending to wrap around a subject and produce diffuse shadows.
24. (computing) Emulated with software; not physically real.

25. (of a drug) Not likely to cause addiction.

Synonyms

• (giving way under pressure): see Thesaurus:soft
• (of a cloth): non-abrasive, fluffy
• (gentle): gentle, light, nesh
• (of a sound): quiet
• (lacking strength or resolve): meek, mild, wimpy, nesh
• (foolish): daft, foolish, silly, stupid

Antonyms

• (giving way under pressure): hard, resistant, solid, stony
• (of a cloth): abrasive, scratchy
• (gentle): harsh, rough, strong
• (acute): hard
• (of a sound): loud
• (lacking strength or resolve): firm, strict, tough
• (of water): hard
• (foolish): sensible

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• mollify

Interjection

soft

1. (archaic) Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast.

Adverb

soft (comparative more soft, superlative most soft)

1. (obsolete) Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly.
   • There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.

Noun

soft (plural softs)

1. A soft or foolish person; an idiot.
   • 1859, George Eliot, Adam Bede Part I, Chapter 9

     It'll do you no good to sit in a spring-cart o' your own, if you've got a soft to drive you: he'll soon turn you over into the ditch.

2. (motorsports) Ellipsis of soft tyre (A tyre whose compound is softer than mediums, and harder than supersofts.)
3. (colloquial) A soft sound or part of a sound.
   • 2012, Sam McGuire, Paul Lee, The Video Editor's Guide to Soundtrack Pro (page 103)

     The expander doesn't really make the louds louder and the softs softer in one step […]

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from English soft(ware).

Noun

soft m

1. (colloquial) software, program
   • 18 March 1999, CD-R 74min X 80min, Group cz.comp.ibmpc:

     Zajimalo by mne, zda jsou tyto CD schopna pracovat na plnou kapacitu s normalnimi vypalovackami a beznym softem nebo je na ne potreba mit extra vypalovadlo i soft?

   • 19 March 2009, Zalohovaci SW, Group cz.talk:

     Pokud t?ch dat máte víc, pak tím TARem sta?í zálohovat základ systému a zbytek ?ešit zálohovacím softem, kterej umí d?lit archiv na n?kolik pásek.

   • 2 April 2010, gsm modul / telefon, Group cz.comp.linux:

     ma nekdo nejake zkusenosti s takovym zarizenim ci softem kterym to ovladat?

Declension

Further reading

• soft in Kartotéka Novo?eského lexikálního archivu
• soft in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English soft.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s?ft/

Noun

soft m (plural softs)

1. (sexuality) soft porn
2. (computing, uncountable) Software.
3. (computing, countable) A piece of software.

Adjective

soft (plural softs)

1. softcore (pornography)

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English soft.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?s?ft/

Adjective

soft (invariable)

1. soft (tone etc; temporary (computing))

References

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from English soft(ware).

Noun

soft m inan

1. (colloquial) software, program