different between plain vs evil
plain
English
Pronunciation
- enPR: pl?n, IPA(key): /ple?n/, [p?l?e?n]
- Rhymes: -e?n
- Homophone: plane
Etymology 1
From Middle English pleyn, borrowed from Anglo-Norman pleyn, playn, Middle French plain, plein, and Old French plain, from Latin pl?nus (“flat, even, level, plain”).
Alternative forms
- plaine (obsolete)
Adjective
plain (comparative plainer, superlative plainest)
- (now rare, regional) Flat, level. [from 14th c.]
- The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.
- Simple.
- Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished. [from 14th c.]
- Of just one colour; lacking a pattern.
- Simple in habits or qualities; unsophisticated, not exceptional, ordinary. [from 16th c.]
- 1654, Henry Hammond, Of Fundamentals
- plain yet pious Christians
- 1861, Abraham Lincoln, Message to Congress in Special Session, July 4th
- the plain people
- 1654, Henry Hammond, Of Fundamentals
- (of food) Having only few ingredients, or no additional ingredients or seasonings; not elaborate, without toppings or extras. [from 17th c.]
- (computing) Containing no extended or nonprinting characters (especially in plain text). [from 20th c.]
- Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished. [from 14th c.]
- Obvious.
- Evident to one's senses or reason; manifest, clear, unmistakable. [from 14th c.]
- 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. XV, Practical — Devotional
- In fact, by excommunication or persuasion, by impetuosity of driving or adroitness in leading, this Abbot, it is now becoming plain everywhere, is a man that generally remains master at last.
- 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. XV, Practical — Devotional
- Downright; total, unmistakable (as intensifier). [from 14th c.]
- Evident to one's senses or reason; manifest, clear, unmistakable. [from 14th c.]
- Open.
- Honest and without deception; candid, open; blunt. [from 14th c.]
- The Quaker was no sooner assured by this fellow of the birth and low fortune of Jones, than all compassion for him vanished; and the honest plain man went home fired with no less indignation than a duke would have felt at receiving an affront from such a person.
- Clear; unencumbered; equal; fair.
- 1711, Henry Felton, Dissertation on Reading the Classics
- Our troops beat an army in plain fight.
- 1711, Henry Felton, Dissertation on Reading the Classics
- Honest and without deception; candid, open; blunt. [from 14th c.]
- Not unusually beautiful; unattractive. [from 17th c.]
- (card games) Not a trump.
Synonyms
- (lacking adornment or ornamentation): no-frills, simple, unadorned, unseasoned; see also Thesaurus:bare-bones
- (of just one colour): monochrome
- (not exceptional): normal, ordinary
- (obvious): blatant, ostensible; see also Thesaurus:obvious or Thesaurus:explicit
- (intensifier): consarn, darned, stinking; see also Thesaurus:damned
- (honest and without deception): frank, sincere; see also Thesaurus:honest
Antonyms
- bells and whistles
- decorative
- exotic
- fancy
- ornate
Derived terms
Related terms
- plane
- planar
Translations
Adverb
plain (not comparable)
- (colloquial) Simply.
- It was just plain stupid.
- I plain forgot.
- (archaic) Plainly; distinctly.
- Tell me plain: do you love me or no?
Etymology 2
From Anglo-Norman plainer, pleiner, variant of Anglo-Norman and Old French pleindre, plaindre, from Latin plangere, present active infinitive of plang?.
Alternative forms
- plein
Noun
plain (plural plains)
- (rare, poetic) A lamentation.
- 1815, Sir Walter Scott, The Lady of the Isles, Canto IV, part IX
- The warrior-threat, the infant's plain,
The mother's screams, were heard in vain;
- The warrior-threat, the infant's plain,
- 1815, Sir Walter Scott, The Lady of the Isles, Canto IV, part IX
Verb
plain (third-person singular simple present plains, present participle plaining, simple past and past participle plained)
- (reflexive, obsolete) To complain. [13th–19th c.]
- c. 1390, William Landland, Piers Plowman, Prologue:
- Persones and parisch prestes · pleyned hem to þe bischop / Þat here parisshes were pore · sith þe pestilence tyme […].
- c. 1390, William Landland, Piers Plowman, Prologue:
- (transitive, intransitive, now rare, poetic) To lament, bewail. [from 14th c.]
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir J. Harrington to this entry?)
- c. 1600, Joseph Hall, Satires
- Thy mother could thee for thy cradle set
Her husband's rusty iron corselet;
Whose jargling sound might rock her babe to rest,
That never plain'd of his uneasy nest.
- Thy mother could thee for thy cradle set
- 1936, Alfred Edward Housman, More Poems, "XXV", lines 5–9
- Then came I crying, and to-day, / With heavier cause to plain, / Depart I into death away, / Not to be born again.
Related terms
Etymology 3
From Old French plain, from Latin pl?num (“level ground, a plain”), neuter substantive from pl?nus (“level, even, flat”). Doublet of llano, piano, and plane.
Noun
plain (plural plains)
- An expanse of land with relatively low relief, usually exclusive of forests, deserts, and wastelands.
- 1961, J. A. Philip. Mimesis in the Sophistês of Plato. In: Proceedings and Transactions of the American Philological Association 92. p. 467.
- For Plato the life of the philosopher is a life of struggle towards the goal of knowledge, towards “searching the heavens and measuring the plains, in all places seeking the nature of everything as a whole”
- Synonyms: flatland, grassland
- Hypernyms: land, terrain
- Hyponyms: prairie, steppe
- 1961, J. A. Philip. Mimesis in the Sophistês of Plato. In: Proceedings and Transactions of the American Philological Association 92. p. 467.
- (archaic) Synonym of field in reference to a battlefield.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Arbuthnot to this entry?)
- (obsolete) Alternative spelling of plane: a flat geometric field.
Usage notes
- As with grassland(s), flatland(s), &c., plains can function as the plural of plain (There are ten principal low plains on Mars) or as its synonym (She lives in the plains), with a vague sense of greater expansiveness.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
Verb
plain (third-person singular simple present plains, present participle plaining, simple past and past participle plained)
- (obsolete, transitive) To level; to raze; to make plain or even on the surface.
- 1594, Christopher Marlowe, Edward II, London: William Jones,[1]
- Frownst thou thereat aspiring Lancaster,
The sworde shall plane the furrowes of thy browes,
- Frownst thou thereat aspiring Lancaster,
- 1612, George Wither, Prince Henrie’s Obsequies, Elegy 24, in Egerton Brydges (editor), Restituta, Volume I, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, 1814, p. 399,[2]
- Though kept by Rome’s and Mahomet’s chiefe powers;
They should not long detain him there in thrall:
We would rake Europe rather, plain the East;
Dispeople the whole Earth before the doome:
- Though kept by Rome’s and Mahomet’s chiefe powers;
- 1594, Christopher Marlowe, Edward II, London: William Jones,[1]
- (obsolete, transitive) To make plain or manifest; to explain.
- c. 1608, William Shakespeare, Pericles, Act III, Prologue,[3]
- What’s dumb in show, I’ll plain with speech.
- c. 1608, William Shakespeare, Pericles, Act III, Prologue,[3]
Anagrams
- Aplin, Lipan, Palin, Pinal, in lap, lapin, plani-
Dalmatian
Etymology
From Latin pl?nus. Compare Italian pieno, Romansch plain, Romanian plin, French plein.
Adjective
plain (feminine plaina)
- full
French
Etymology
From Old French plain, from Latin pl?nus. Doublet of plan and piano.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pl??/
- Homophones: plains, plein, pleins
Adjective
plain (feminine singular plaine, masculine plural plains, feminine plural plaines)
- (obsolete) plane
Derived terms
- plain-pied
- plain-chant
Further reading
- “plain” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Anagrams
- alpin, lapin
Middle French
Etymology
From Old French plain, from Latin pl?nus.
Adjective
plain m (feminine singular plaine, masculine plural plains, feminine plural plaines)
- full (not empty)
Old French
Etymology 1
From Latin pl?nus.
Adjective
plain m (feminine plaine)
- full (not empty)
- circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:
- De tant come ele l'ot veü,
- Que plains estoit de felenie.
- As she had seen
- He was full of evil
- Antonym: vuit
- circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:
Descendants
- French: plein
Etymology 2
From Latin pl?num (“level ground, a plain”), neuter substantive from pl?nus (“level, even, flat”).
Noun
plain m (oblique plural plainz, nominative singular plainz, nominative plural plain)
- plain (flat area)
Synonyms
- plaine
Descendants
- ? Dutch: plein
- ? Middle English:
- English: plain
- Scots: plain
Etymology 3
From Latin pl?nus (“level, even, flat”).
Adjective
plain m (oblique and nominative feminine singular plaine)
- flat (not even or mountainous)
Romansch
Alternative forms
- plein (Sursilvan)
- plagn (Sutsilvan, Surmiran)
Etymology
From Latin pl?nus.
Adjective
plain m (feminine singular plaina, masculine plural plains, feminine plural plainas)
- (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader) full
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evil
English
Pronunciation
- enPR: ?-v?l, ?-v?l, IPA(key): /?i?v?l/, /?i?v?l/
- (General American) IPA(key): /?iv?l/
- Hyphenation: evil
- Rhymes: -i?v?l
Etymology 1
From Middle English yvel, evel, ivel, uvel, from Old English yfel, from Proto-West Germanic *ubil, from Proto-Germanic *ubilaz (compare Saterland Frisian eeuwel, Dutch euvel, Low German övel, German übel), from Proto-Indo-European *h?upélos (compare Old Irish fel (“bad, evil”), from Proto-Celtic *u?elos), diminutive of *h?wep(h?)-, *h?wap- (“treat badly”) (compare Hittite ???????????????? (huwapp-i, “to mistreat, harass”), ???????????????????? (huwappa-, “evil, badness”)), or alternatively from *upélos (“evil”, literally “going over or beyond (acceptable limits)”), from Proto-Indo-European *upo, *h?ewp- (“down, up, over”).
Adjective
evil (comparative eviller or eviler or more evil, superlative evillest or evilest or most evil)
- Intending to harm; malevolent.
- 1866, Elizabeth Gaskell, Wives and Daughters, Chapter 47,[1]
- For a good while the Miss Brownings were kept in ignorance of the evil tongues that whispered hard words about Molly.
- 1916, Zane Grey, The Border Legion, New York: Harper & Bros., Chapter 10, p. 147,[2]
- He looked at her shapely person with something of the brazen and evil glance that had been so revolting to her in the eyes of those ruffians.
- 2006, Ng?g? wa Thiong'o, Wizard of the Crow, New York: Pantheon, Book Three, Section II, Chapter 3, p. 351,[3]
- “Before this, I never had any cause to suspect my wife of any conspiracy.”
- “You mean it never crossed your mind that she might have been told to whisper evil thoughts in your ear at night?”
- 1866, Elizabeth Gaskell, Wives and Daughters, Chapter 47,[1]
- Morally corrupt.
- c. 1590, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 2, Act III, Scene 3,[4]
- Ah, what a sign it is of evil life,
- When death’s approach is seen so terrible.
- 1848, Anne Brontë, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Chapter 41,[5]
- I had much trouble at first in breaking him of those evil habits his father had taught him to acquire […]
- 1967, Chaim Potok, The Chosen, New York: Fawcett Columbine, 2003, Chapter 1, p. 14,[6]
- To the rabbis who taught in the Jewish parochial schools, baseball was an evil waste of time […]
- c. 1590, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 2, Act III, Scene 3,[4]
- Unpleasant, foul (of odour, taste, mood, weather, etc.).
- 1660, John Harding (translator), Paracelsus his Archidoxis, London: W.S., Book 7, “Of an Odoriferous Specifick,” p. 100,[7]
- An Odoriferous Specifick […] is a Matter that takes away Diseases from the Sick, no otherwise then as Civet drives away the stinck of Ordure by its Odour; for you are to observe, That the Specifick doth permix it self with this evil Odour of the Dung; and the stink of the Dung cannot hurt, no[r] abide there […]
- 1897, H. G. Wells, The Invisible Man, Chapter 18,[8]
- He awoke in an evil temper […]
- 1937, Robert Byron, The Road to Oxiana, London: Macmillan, Part V, “Mazar-i-Sherif,” p. 282,[9]
- It was an evil day, sticky and leaden: Oxiana looked as colourless and suburban as India.
- 1958, Graham Greene, Our Man in Havana, Penguin, 1979, Part Four, Chapter 1, p. 125,[10]
- He herded them into a small and evil toilet and then through a window.
- 1993, Carol Shields, The Stone Diaries, Toronto: Random House of Canada, Chapter One, p. 39,[11]
- Everyone in the tiny, crowded, hot, and evil-smelling kitchen […] has been invited to participate in a moment of history.
- 1660, John Harding (translator), Paracelsus his Archidoxis, London: W.S., Book 7, “Of an Odoriferous Specifick,” p. 100,[7]
- Producing or threatening sorrow, distress, injury, or calamity; unpropitious; calamitous.
- c. 1590, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 3, Act V, Scene 6,[12]
- The owl shrieked at thy birth,—an evil sign;
- 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Deuteronomy 22.19,[13]
- […] he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel:
- 1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes in Paradise Regain’d, to which is added Samson Agonistes, London: John Starkey, p. 89, lines 438-439,[14]
- A little stay will bring some notice hither,
- For evil news rides post, while good news baits.
- 1931, Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth, New York: Modern Library, 1944, Chapter 15, p. 122,[15]
- “ […] with bandits and robbers roving over the land in these evil times of famine and war, how can it be said that this one or that stole anything? Hunger makes thief of any man.”
- c. 1590, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 3, Act V, Scene 6,[12]
- (obsolete) Having harmful qualities; not good; worthless or deleterious.
- an evil beast; an evil plant; an evil crop
- 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Matthew 7.18,[16]
- A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.
- (computing, programming, slang) undesirable; harmful; bad practice
- Global variables are evil; storing processing context in object member variables allows those objects to be reused in a much more flexible way.
Synonyms
- nefarious
- malicious
- malevolent
- wicked
- See also Thesaurus:evil
Antonyms
- good
Derived terms
Translations
Noun
evil (countable and uncountable, plural evils)
- Moral badness; wickedness; malevolence; the forces or behaviors that are the opposite or enemy of good.
- The heart of the sons of men is full of evil.
- Something which impairs the happiness of a being or deprives a being of any good; something which causes suffering of any kind to sentient beings; harm; injury; mischief.
- (obsolete) A malady or disease; especially in combination, as in king's evil, colt evil.
- He [Edward the Confessor] was the first that touched for the evil.
Antonyms
- good
Derived terms
Translations
References
Etymology 2
From Middle English yvel, evel, ivel, uvel (“evilly”), from Old English yfele, yfle (“evilly”), a derivative of the noun yfel (“evil”). Often reinterpreted as the noun in the later language (as in "to speak evil").
Adverb
evil (comparative more evil, superlative most evil)
- (obsolete) wickedly, evilly, iniquitously
- (obsolete) injuriously, harmfully; in a damaging way.
- (obsolete) badly, poorly; in an insufficient way.
- It went evil with him.
Usage notes
This adverb was usually used in conjunction with speak.
References
- James A. H. Murray [et al.], editors (1884–1928) , “Evil, adv.”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume III (D–E), London: Clarendon Press, OCLC 15566697, page 350, column 2.
Anagrams
- Levi, Viel, live, veil, vile, vlei
Middle English
Etymology 1
Adjective
evil
- Alternative form of yvel (“evil”)
Etymology 2
Adverb
evil
- Alternative form of yvel (“evilly”)
evil From the web:
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- what evil lurks dauntless
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