different between prostrate vs discomfit

English

Etymology

Latin pr?str?tus, past participle of pr?sternere (“to prostrate”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??st?e?t/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?p??st?e?t/
• Hyphenation: pros?trate

Adjective

prostrate (not comparable)

1. Lying flat, face-down.

   Synonym: prone

   Antonym: supine

   • 1945, Sir Winston Churchill, VE Day speech from House of Commons:

     Finally almost the whole world was combined against the evil-doers, who are now prostrate before us.

2. (figuratively) Emotionally devastated.
3. Physically incapacitated from environmental exposure or debilitating disease.

4. (botany) Trailing on the ground; procumbent.

Translations

Verb

prostrate (third-person singular simple present prostrates, present participle prostrating, simple past and past participle prostrated)

2. (often reflexive) To lie flat or face-down.
3. (also figuratively) To throw oneself down in submission.
4. To cause to lie down, to flatten.
5. (figuratively) To overcome or overpower.
   • 1936, Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind

     Why this very minute she's prostrated with grief.

Usage notes

• Prostrate and prostate are often confused, in spelling if not in meaning.

Related terms

• prostration

Translations

See also

• kowtow

Anagrams

• Perrottas

Italian

Verb

prostrate

1. second-person plural present indicative of prostrare
2. second-person plural imperative of prostrare
3. feminine plural of prostrato

Latin

Participle

pr?str?te

1. vocative masculine singular of pr?str?tus

English

Etymology

From Old French desconfit, past participle of desconfire (“to undo, to destroy”), from des- (“completely”), from Latin dis- + confire (“to make”), from Latin conficio (“to finish up, to destroy”), from com- (“with, together”) + facio (“to do, to make”).

Later sense of “to embarrass, to disconcert” due to confusion with unrelated discomfort.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d?s?k?mf?t/

Verb

discomfit (third-person singular simple present discomfits, present participle discomfiting or discomfitting, simple past and past participle discomfited or discomfitted) (transitive)

1. (archaic) To defeat completely; to rout.

   Synonyms: overthrow, vanquish
2. (rare) To defeat the plans or hopes of; to frustrate; disconcert.

   Synonyms: foil, thwart

   • 1886, Andrew Lang, chapter 10, in The Mark Of Cain:

     In these disguises, Maitland argued, he would certainly avoid recognition, and so discomfit any mischief planned by the enemies of Margaret.

3. To embarrass greatly; to confuse; to perplex; to disconcert.

   Synonyms: abash, disconcert; see also Thesaurus:abash

Usage notes

While the word is widely used to mean “to embarrass, to disconcert”, prescriptive usage considers this a mistake (confusion with discomfort), and restricts discomfit to meaning “to defeat”. However, Merriam–Webster notes that “[...] the sense "to discomfort or disconcert" has become thoroughly established and is the most prevalent meaning of the word.”

Translations

See also

• discomfort

Adjective

discomfit (comparative more discomfit, superlative most discomfit)

1. (obsolete) Discomfited; overthrown.

Further reading

• “discomfit”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

References