different between permit vs proffer

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English permitten, borrowed from Middle French permettre, from Latin permitt? (“give up, allow”), from per (“through”) + mitt? (“send”).

Pronunciation

• (most verb senses):

  (General American) IPA^(key): /p??m?t/

  (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p??m?t/

  Rhymes: -?t

• (noun, denominal verb senses):

  (General American) IPA^(key): /?p?m?t/

  (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??m?t/

  Rhymes: -??(?)m?t

Verb

permit (third-person singular simple present permits, present participle permitting, simple past and past participle permitted)

1. (transitive) To allow (something) to happen, to give permission for. [from 15th c.]
   • 1930, "Presbytarians", Time, 19 Dec 1930:

     Last week the decision on two points was conclusive: the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. will not permit ordination of women as ministers, but will permit their election as ruling elders, permission which makes possible a woman as moderator.

2. (transitive) To allow (someone) to do something; to give permission to. [from 15th c.]
   • 2009, Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 17 Jan 09, p. 1:

     He was ultimately cleared, but during that period, Mr. Ackman said, his lawyers would not permit him to defend himself publicly.

3. (intransitive) To allow for, to make something possible. [from 16th c.]
   • 2006, Mary Riddell, "Trident is a Weapon of Mass Destruction", The Observer, 3 Dec 06:

     What was left to say? Quite a lot, if only parliamentary time permitted.

   • 2009, John Mitchell, "Clubs Preview", The Guardian, 25 Jul 09:

     For snackage there's a 1950s-themed diner plus a barbie on the terrace, weather permitting.

4. (intransitive) To allow, to admit (of). [from 18th c.]
   • per
   • 2007, Ian Jack, The Guardian, 22 Sep 07:

     "As an instrument of economic policy, incantation does not permit of minor doubts or scruples."

5. (transitive, pronounced like noun) To grant formal authorization for (something).

6. (transitive, pronounced like noun) To attempt to obtain or succeed in obtaining formal authorization for (something).

7. (now archaic, rare) To hand over, resign (something to someone). [from 15th c.]

   • Let us not aggravate our sorrows, / But to the gods permit the event of things.

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that in the active form takes the gerund (-ing), but in passive takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Translations

Noun

permit (plural permits)

1. An artifact or document rendering something allowed or legal. [from 17th c.]

   A construction permit can be obtained from the town offices.

   Go over to the park office and get a permit for the #3 shelter.

   1. A learner's permit.
2. (obsolete) Formal permission. [16th-19th c.]

Translations

Related terms

• permission
• mission

Etymology 2

An irregular borrowing from Spanish palometa, probably from a Doric variant of Ancient Greek ??????? (p?lamús, “young tuna”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?p?m?t/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??m?t/
• Rhymes: -??(?)m?t

Noun

permit (plural permit)

1. A pompano of the species Trachinotus falcatus.

See also

• Permit (fish) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Trachinotus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies

Anagrams

• premit

French

Verb

permit

1. third-person singular past historic of permettre

English

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English profre (“act of offering or presenting a gift; offer of something; challenge; sacrifice; act of petitioning or requesting; petition, request; proposal, suggestion; idea, thought; attempt, effort; appearance; (law) payment to the Exchequer by a sheriff or other officer of estimated revenue due to the monarch”) [and other forms], and then:

• partly from Late Latin profrum, proferum (“payment to the Exchequer of estimated revenue due to the monarch (also puruoffrus), offer to convict a criminal”), and from its likely etymon Anglo-Norman profre, proffre, porofre (“payment to the Exchequer of estimated revenue due to the monarch; offer, proposal”), and
• partly from the verb.

The verb is derived from Late Middle English prouffer, prouffre, Middle English profren, profer, proffere (“to offer, propose; to deliver, hand over, present; to take up; to volunteer; to dedicate; to attempt, try; to risk; to challenge; to provide; to ask, invite; to proceed, start; to grant; to argue”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman profrer, proferer, profferer, proffrir, propherer, proufrir, and Old French proferir, proffrir, profrir (“to offer, propose; to present; to volunteer”), variants of Anglo-Norman puroffrir and Middle French poroffrir, paroffrir, Old French poroffrir, paroffrir, porofrir, from por-, pur- (prefix meaning ‘to go through’ or having an intensifying effect) + offrir, ofrir (“to offer”) (modern French offrir (“to offer; to give as a gift; to open oneself up to (someone)”)). Offrir is derived from Vulgar Latin *offer?re, from Latin offerre, present active infinitive of offer? (“to offer, present; to exhibit, show; to expose; to cause, inflict; to consecrate, dedicate; to sacrifice”) (from ob- (prefix meaning ‘against; towards’) + fer? (“to bear, carry; to support; to endure; to bring forth; to put in motion; to move forward”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *b?er- (“to bear, carry”))).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??f?(?)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?p??f?/
• Rhymes: -?f?(r)
• Hyphenation: prof?fer

Noun

proffer (plural proffers)

1. An offer made; something proposed for acceptance by another; a tender.

   Synonym: proposition
2. (obsolete) An attempt, an essay.

Alternative forms

• profre, proffre (obsolete)

Translations

Verb

proffer (third-person singular simple present proffers, present participle proffering, simple past and past participle proffered)

1. (transitive, reflexive) To offer for acceptance; to propose to give; to make a tender of.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To attempt or essay of one's own accord; to undertake or propose to undertake.

Conjugation

Alternative forms

• profre, proffre (obsolete)

Derived terms

• profferable (rare)
• profferer

Related terms

• prolate

Translations

See also

• profer

References

Further reading

• proffer in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• proffer in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• proffer at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• proffre

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

proffer m

1. indefinite plural of proff