different between obstacle vs challenge

English

Etymology

From Middle English obstacle, from Old French obstacle, from Latin obst?culum.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??bst?kl?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??bst?kl?/
• Hyphenation: ob?sta?cle

Noun

obstacle (plural obstacles)

1. Something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress

   A big obstacle to understanding the manual was that it had been poorly translated from the Japanese.

Synonyms

• impediment
• hindrance
• hurdle
• barrier
• complication
• snag
• See also Thesaurus:hindrance

Translations

Anagrams

• Casebolt, costable

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin obst?culum.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /ops?ta.kl?/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /ups?ta.kl?/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ops?ta.kle/

Noun

obstacle m (plural obstacles)

1. obstacle

Derived terms

• obstaculitzar

Further reading

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

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin obstaculum, from obst?

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p.stakl/

Noun

obstacle m (plural obstacles)

1. obstacle

Derived terms

• course d'obstacles
• faire obstacle
• saut d'obstacles

Further reading

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

English

Etymology

From Middle English chalenge, variant with palatalization of Middle English kalange (“an accusation, claim”), from Old French chalenge, chalonge, palatalized Central French variants of Old Northern French calenge, calonge (see Continental Norman calengier), from Latin calumnia (“a false accusation, calumny”), from Proto-Indo-European *k?l-, *??l- (“invocation; to beguile, feign, charm, cajole, deceive”). Cognate with Old English h?l (“calumny”). Doublet of calumny.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t?æl.?nd?/, /?t?æl.?nd?/

Noun

challenge (plural challenges)

1. A confrontation; a dare.
   1. An instigation or antagonization intended to convince a person to perform an action they otherwise would not.
   2. A bid to overcome something.
   3. (sports) An attempt to take possession; a tackle
   4. A summons to fight a duel; also, the letter or message conveying the summons.
   5. The act of a sentry in halting a person and demanding the countersign, or (by extension) the action of a computer system demanding a password, etc.
   6. An attempt to have a work of literature restricted or removed from a public library or school curriculum.
2. A difficult task, especially one that the person making the attempt finds more enjoyable because of that difficulty.
3. (law) A procedure or action.
   1. (law, rare) A judge's interest in the result of the case for which he or she should not be allowed to sit the case, e.g. a conflict of interest.

   2. The act of appealing a ruling or decision of a court of administrative agency.
   3. The act of seeking to remove a judge, arbitrator or other judicial or semi-judicial figure for reasons of alleged bias or incapacity.

   4. (US) An exception to a person as not legally qualified to vote. The challenge must be made when the ballot is offered.
4. (hunting) The opening and crying of hounds at first finding the scent of their game.

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Japanese: ?????

Translations

Verb

challenge (third-person singular simple present challenges, present participle challenging, simple past and past participle challenged)

1. (transitive) To invite (someone) to take part in a competition.
2. (transitive) To dare (someone).
3. (transitive) To dispute (something).

4. (law, transitive) To make a formal objection to a juror.
5. (transitive) To be difficult or challenging for.
6. (obsolete, transitive) To claim as due; to demand as a right.

   • Challenge better terms.

7. (obsolete, transitive) To censure; to blame.

   • I may be more challenged for my inconsiderate Boldness

8. (military, transitive) To question or demand the countersign from (one who attempts to pass the lines).

9. (US, transitive) To object to the reception of the vote of, e.g. on the ground that the person is not qualified as a voter.
10. (Canada, US, transitive) To take (a final exam) in order to get credit for a course without taking it.

Synonyms

• becall, call out

Translations

Related terms

• challenging
• challenger
• dechallenge
• rechallenge

French

Etymology

Orthographic borrowing from English challenge, from Old French chalonge, from Latin calumnia. Doublet of calomnie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?a.l???/

Noun

challenge m (plural challenges)

1. challenge

Further reading

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