different between paltry vs imperceptible

English

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) paultry, paultrie, palterey

Etymology

From Middle Low German paltrig (“ragged, rubbishy, worthless”), from palter, palte (“cloth, rag, shred”), from Old Saxon *paltro, *palto (“cloth, rag”), from Proto-Germanic *paltrô, *paltô (“scrap, rag, patch”). Cognate with Low German palterig (“ragged, torn”), dialectal German palterig (“paltry”). Compare also Low German palte (“rag”), West Frisian palt (“rag”), Saterland Frisian Palte (“strip; band; tape”), dialectal German Palter (“rag”), Danish pjalt (“rag, tatter”), Swedish palta (“rag”). See also palterly.

Pronunciation

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /?p?lt?i/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /?p?lt?i/, /?p??lt?i/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?p?lt?i/, /?p?lt?i/

Adjective

paltry (comparative paltrier, superlative paltriest)

1. Trashy, trivial, of little value.

   Synonyms: insignificant, unimportant, petty, trivial
2. Of little monetary worth.

   Synonyms: meager, worthless, pitiful, trifling
3. Despicable

   A paltry coward.

Usage notes

• Nouns to which "paltry" is often applied: sum, rate, amount, number, price, salary, wages, fellow, pay, excuse, income, gain, compensation.

Derived terms

• paltriness

Translations

Anagrams

• partly, raptly

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French imperceptible, from Medieval Latin imperceptibilis

Adjective

imperceptible (comparative more imperceptible, superlative most imperceptible)

1. not perceptible, not detectable, too small in magnitude to be observed
   • 1986, Derek Parfit, Reasons and Persons, OUP Oxford (?ISBN), page 75:

     Very small benefits may be imperceptible. And it is plausible to claim that an 'imperceptible benefit' is not a benefit.

   Synonyms: imperceivable, undistinguishable, unperceivable

   Antonyms: detectable, perceptible

Derived terms

Translations

Catalan

Etymology

From Medieval Latin imperceptibilis, equivalent to im- +? perceptible.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /im.p??.s?p?ti.bl?/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /im.p?r.s?p?ti.bl?/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /im.pe?.sep?ti.ble/

Adjective

imperceptible (masculine and feminine plural imperceptibles)

1. imperceptible

   Antonym: perceptible

Derived terms

• imperceptiblement

Further reading

• “imperceptible” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “imperceptible” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “imperceptible” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “imperceptible” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

From the Medieval Latin imperceptibilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.p??.s?p.tibl/

Adjective

imperceptible (plural imperceptibles)

1. imperceptible

Further reading

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

Spanish

Etymology

From Medieval Latin imperceptibilis; synchronically analyzable as im- +? perceptible.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /impe??eb?tible/, [?m.pe?.?e???t?i.??le]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /impe?seb?tible/, [?m.pe?.se???t?i.??le]

Adjective

imperceptible (plural imperceptibles)

1. imperceptible