different between nuisance vs spay

English

Etymology

From Middle English nuisance, from Anglo-Norman nusaunce, nussance etc., from Old French nuisance, from nuisir (“to harm”), from Latin noce? (“to harm”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?nus?ns/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?nju?s?ns/

Noun

nuisance (countable and uncountable, plural nuisances)

1. A minor annoyance or inconvenience.
   • 2010, Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data (2nd Edition), The MIT Press, p. 407

     By itself, nondifferentiability at zero is a minor nuisance.

2. A person or thing causing annoyance or inconvenience.
3. (law) Anything harmful or offensive to the community or to a member of it, for which a legal remedy exists.

Synonyms

• (minor annoyance or inconvenience): annoyance, inconvenience, offense
• (person or thing causing annoyance or inconvenience): bother, obstacle, pest

Antonyms

• (minor annoyance or inconvenience): enjoyment

Related terms

• nuisance call
• nuisance tax

Translations

References

• nuisance on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

From Old French nuisance, from nuisir (“to harm”) (compare also French nuire), from Latin noce? (“I harm”), noc?re; may correspond to Late Latin noc?ntia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n?i.z??s/
• Rhymes: -??s

Noun

nuisance f (plural nuisances)

1. nuisance
2. pollution

   Les nuisances sonores sont un véritable fléau dans ce quartier.

Related terms

• nuire

Further reading

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

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English spayen, spaien, from the Anglo-Norman espeier, equivalent to the Old French espeer (“to cut with a sword”), from espee (“sword”), whence the Modern French épée.

Alternative forms

• spaie [16th C.]
• spave (archaic)
• spaye [16th–17th CC.]

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sp?, IPA^(key): /spe?/
• Rhymes: -e?

Verb

spay (third-person singular simple present spays, present participle spaying, simple past spayed, past participle spayed or (obsolete) spade)

1. (transitive) To remove or destroy the ovaries and/or uterus (of an animal) so that it cannot become pregnant.

Synonyms

• castrate, emasculate (for a male)
• geld (used almost always of animals, especially male horses)
• neuter (used only of animals, especially pets)
• sterilize (used for all species and for both genders)

Translations

References

• “spay, v.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]

Etymology 2

See spayard.

Noun

spay (plural spays)

1. Rare spelling of spayard.

References

• “spay” listed as a variant spelling of “spaya(?)d, spayd”, listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]

Etymology 3

Verb

spay (third-person singular simple present spays, present participle spaying, simple past and past participle spayed)

1. Alternative form of spae (to foretell or divine)

Anagrams

• APYs, AsPy, Pays, aspy, pays, pyas, yaps

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch speye; compare Middle Dutch spoye.

Alternative forms

• spey, speye

Noun

spay (plural spayes)

1. sluice

References

• “†spay, n.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]

Etymology 2

See spayen.

Verb

spay (third-person singular simple present spayeth, present participle spayinge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle spaied)

1. alternative infinitive of spayen.

References

• “spay, v.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]

Scots

Etymology

From Northern Middle English sp?, from Old Norse spá (“to foretell, prophesy”), from Proto-Germanic *spah?n?, *speh?n? (“to observe”), from Proto-Indo-European *spe?- (“to look”). Cognate with Old High German speh?n (“to peer, spy”) (whence German spähen), Middle Dutch spien, spieden (“to spy”) (whence Dutch spieden). More at spy.

Noun

spay (plural spays)

1. A prophecy; omen

Verb

spay (third-person singular present spays, present participle spayin, past spayed, past participle spayed)

1. Alternative form of spae