different between rattle vs discomfit

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??æt.l?/
• Rhymes: -æt?l

Etymology 1

Verb from Middle English [Term?], either from Old English [Term?] (not attested) or Middle Dutch ratelen, ultimately imitative. The noun (c. 1500) is from the verb.

Noun

rattle (countable and uncountable, plural rattles)

1. (onomatopoeia) a sound made by loose objects shaking or vibrating against one another.
   • 1902, Arthur M. Winfield, The Rover Boys in the Mountains Chapter 4

     The rattle of a drum.

2. A baby’s toy designed to make sound when shaken, usually containing loose grains or pellets in a hollow container.
3. A device that makes a rattling sound such as put on an animal so its location can be heard.
4. (music) A musical instrument that makes a rattling sound.

   • The rattles of Isis and the cymbals of Brasilea nearly enough resemble each other.

5. (dated) Noisy, rapid talk.
   • 1627, George Hakewill, Apologie […] of the Power and Providence of God

     All this adoe about the golden age is but an empty rattle and frivolous conceipt.

6. (uncountable, now rare) Trivial chatter; gossip.
   • 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, III.v.5:

     “And pray where, Lady Honoria,” cried Mrs. Delvile, “do you contrive to pick up all this rattle?”

7. (dated) A noisy, senseless talker; a jabberer.
8. A scolding; a sharp rebuke.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Heylin to this entry?)

9. (zoology) Any organ of an animal having a structure adapted to produce a rattling sound.

10. The noise produced in the throat by air passing through mucus which the lungs struggle to clear.
11. The noise in the throat produced by the air in passing through mucus which the lungs are unable to expel - sometimes occurs as a person nears death; death rattle.
12. Any plant of the genus Rhinanthus, whose seeds produce a rattling noise in the wind.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

rattle (third-person singular simple present rattles, present participle rattling, simple past and past participle rattled)

1. (transitive, ergative) To create a rattling sound by shaking or striking.
2. (transitive, informal) To scare, startle, unsettle, or unnerve.
   • 1923, P. G. Wodehouse, The Inimitable Jeeves

     “Tut!” said old Bittlesham. “Tut is right”, I agreed. Then the rumminess of the thing struck me. “But if you haven’t dropped a parcel over the race,” I said, “why are you looking so rattled?”

   • 2014, Richard Rae, "Manchester United humbled by MK Dons after Will Grigg hits double", The Guardian, 26 August 2014:

     That United were rattled, mentally as well as at times physically – legitimately so – was beyond question. Nick Powell clipped a crisp drive a foot over the bar, but otherwise Milton Keynes had the best of the remainder of the first half.

3. (intransitive) To make a rattling noise; to make noise by or from shaking.

4. (transitive, obsolete) To assail, annoy, or stun with a ratting noise.
5. (transitive, obsolete) To scold; to rail at.

   • This came to the Bishop's Ear, who presently sent for the Curate, Rattled him to some Tune, with Menaces to the Highest Degree

6. To drive or ride briskly, so as to make a clattering.

7. To make a clatter with one's voice; to talk rapidly and idly; often with on or away.

Translations

Derived terms

See also

Etymology 2

From Arabic ?????? (ra?l), variant of classical ?????? (ri?l), ultimately from Ancient Greek ????? (lítra). Doublet of liter.

Noun

rattle (plural rattles)

1. (historical units of measure) Alternative form of rottol: a former Middle Eastern and North African unit of dry weight usually equal to 1–5 lb (0.5–2.5 kg).

Anagrams

• Tatler, latter

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