different between simple vs frank

English

Etymology

From Middle English symple, simple, from Old French and French simple, from Latin simplex (“simple”, literally “onefold”) (as opposed to duplex (“double”, literally “twofold”)), from semel (“the same”) + plic? (“I fold”). See same and fold. Compare single, singular, simultaneous, etc.

Partially displaced native English onefold.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?s?mp?l/
• Rhymes: -?mp?l
• Hyphenation: sim?ple

Adjective

simple (comparative simpler or more simple, superlative simplest or most simple)

1. Uncomplicated; taken by itself, with nothing added.
   • 2001, Sydney I. Landau, Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography, Cambridge University Press ?ISBN, page 167,

     There is no simple way to define precisely a complex arrangement of parts, however homely the object may appear to be.

2. Without ornamentation; plain.
3. Free from duplicity; guileless, innocent, straightforward.
   • 1605, John Marston, The Dutch Courtesan

     Full many fine men go upon my score, as simple as I stand here, and I trust them.

   • 1838, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Literary Ethics - an Oration delivered before the Literary Societies of Dartmouth College, July 24, 1838

     To be simple is to be great.

4. Undistinguished in social condition; of no special rank.

   Antonym: gentle

5. (now rare) Trivial; insignificant.
   • 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, Book X:

     ‘That was a symple cause,’ seyde Sir Trystram, ‘for to sle a good knyght for seyynge well by his maystir.’

6. (now colloquial) Feeble-minded; foolish.
7. (heading, technical) Structurally uncomplicated.
   1. (chemistry, pharmacology) Consisting of one single substance; uncompounded.
   2. (mathematics) Of a group: having no normal subgroup.
   3. (botany) Not compound, but possibly lobed.
   4. (of a steam engine) Using steam only once in its cylinders, in contrast to a compound engine, where steam is used more than once in high-pressure and low-pressure cylinders.
      • 1959, Steam's Finest Hour, edited by David P. Morgan, Kalmbach Publishing Co., page 6:

   5. (zoology) Consisting of a single individual or zooid; not compound.

   6. (mineralogy) Homogenous.
8. (obsolete) Mere; not other than; being only.

Synonyms

• (consisting of a single part or aspect): onefold
• (having few parts or features): plain
• See also Thesaurus:easy and Thesaurus:bare-bones

Antonyms

• (having few parts or features): complex, compound, complicated
• (uncomplicated): subtle

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

simple (plural simples)

1. (pharmacology) A herbal preparation made from one plant, as opposed to something made from more than one plant.
   • 2003, Dolores Stewart Riccio, Charmed Circle, Kensington Books (?ISBN), page 12:

     The venerable carryall, formerly brimming with all manner of esoteric pamphlets and witch's simples, now overflowed with a cascade of soft toys, juice bottles, tissues, linen books for infants, […]

2. (obsolete, by extension) A physician.
3. (logic) A simple or atomic proposition.
4. (obsolete) Something not mixed or compounded.
5. (weaving) A drawloom.
6. (weaving) Part of the apparatus for raising the heddles of a drawloom.
7. (Roman Catholicism) A feast which is not a double or a semidouble.

Translations

Verb

simple (third-person singular simple present simples, present participle simpling, simple past and past participle simpled)

1. (transitive, intransitive, archaic) To gather simples, i.e. medicinal herbs.

Derived terms

• simpler
• simplist
• simplify

Anagrams

• LEMSIP, impels

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin simplex.

Adjective

simple (epicene, plural simples)

1. simple (uncomplicated)

Synonyms

• cenciellu

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin simplex.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /?sim.pl?/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /?sim.ple/

Adjective

simple (masculine and feminine plural simples)

1. simple (uncomplicated)

   Synonym: senzill

2. single (not divided into parts)

Derived terms

• fulla simple (“simple leaf”)
• simplement (“simply”)

Related terms

• símplex (“simplex”)
• simplicitat (“simplicity”)
• ximple

Further reading

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

Chavacano

Etymology

From Spanish simple (“simple”).

Adjective

simple

1. simple

Esperanto

Etymology

From simpla +? -e.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?simple/
• Hyphenation: sim?ple

Adverb

simple

1. simply

French

Etymology

From Old French, borrowed from Latin simplex.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s??pl/

Adjective

simple (plural simples)

1. single (multiplier)

2. simple

3. one-way

4. mere

Usage notes

The second and third meanings are taken when the adjective is placed after the noun. The fourth meaning is taken when it is located before the noun.

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Romanian: simplu

Noun

simple m (plural simples)

1. one-way ticket
2. (baseball) single

Related terms

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• emplis

Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin simplex. Displaced Old Portuguese simplez.

Adjective

simple m or f (plural simples)

1. simple

German

Adjective

simple

1. inflection of simpel:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Latin

Adjective

simple

1. vocative masculine singular of simplus

Middle English

Adjective

simple

1. Alternative form of symple

Noun

simple

1. Alternative form of symple

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

simple

1. definite singular of simpel
2. plural of simpel

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

simple

1. definite singular of simpel
2. plural of simpel

Old French

Alternative forms

• sinple

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin simplex.

Adjective

simple m (oblique and nominative feminine singular simple)

1. innocent
2. mere; simple
3. honest; without pretense
4. peasant, pauper (attributive)

Descendants

• French: simple
  • ? Romanian: simplu
• ? Middle English: symple, simple
  • Scots: semple
  • English: simple

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?sim.ple]

Adjective

simple

1. feminine/neuter plural nominative/accusative of simplu

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin simplex.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?simple/, [?s?m.ple]

Adjective

simple (plural simples)

1. simple (uncomplicated)

   Synonym: sencillo

   Antonym: complejo

2. (before the noun) mere, ordinary

   Synonym: mero

3. simple, single (not divided into parts)

   Antonym: compuesto

4. simple-minded, stupid
5. insipid, flavorless

   Synonym: soso

6. (grammar) simple

Usage notes

A way to think of the difference between simple and sencillo, which both mean "simple" in English, is that the antonym of simple is complejo (“complex”), whereas the antonym of sencillo is complicado (“complicated”).

Derived terms

Descendants

• Chavacano: simple

Noun

simple m or f (plural simples)

1. simpleton, fool
2. (pharmacology, masculine only) simple

See also

• más simple que el mecanismo de un botijo

Further reading

• “simple” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

Swedish

Adjective

simple

1. absolute definite natural masculine form of simpel.

Anagrams

• simpel

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish simple.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?simpl?/

Adjective

símple

1. simple; plain

   Synonyms: payak, yano, liso

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f?æ?k/
• Rhymes: -æ?k
• Homophones: franc, Frank

Etymology 1

Middle English, from Old French franc (“free”), in turn from the name of an early Germanic confederation, the Franks.

Adjective

frank (comparative franker, superlative frankest)

1. honest, especially in a manner that seems slightly blunt; candid; not reserved or disguised.

2. (medicine) unmistakable, clinically obvious, self-evident

3. (obsolete) Unbounded by restrictions, limitations, etc.; free.

   • It is of frank gift.

4. (obsolete) Liberal; generous; profuse.
5. (obsolete, derogatory) Unrestrained; loose; licentious.

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

Derived terms

• frankly

Translations

Noun

frank (plural franks)

1. (uncountable) Free postage, a right exercised by governments (usually with definite article).
   • October 5, 1780, William Cowper, letter to Rev. William Unwin

     I have said so much, that, if I had not a frank, I must burn my letter and begin again.

2. (countable) The notice on an envelope where a stamp would normally be found.

Verb

frank (third-person singular simple present franks, present participle franking, simple past and past participle franked)

1. To place a frank on an envelope.
   • 1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, chapter 20

     It will be so ridiculous to see all his letters directed to him with an M.P.—But do you know, he says, he will never frank for me?

2. To exempt from charge for postage, as a letter, package, or packet, etc.
3. To send by public conveyance free of expense.

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

Translations

See also

• prepay

Etymology 2

Shortened form of frankfurter.

Noun

frank (plural franks)

1. A hot dog or sausage.

   Synonyms: frankfurt, frankfurter

Related terms

• cocktail frank

See also

• sav
• savaloy

Etymology 3

Noun

frank (plural franks)

1. (Britain) The grey heron.

Etymology 4

From Old French franc.

Noun

frank (plural franks)

1. A pigsty.

Verb

frank (third-person singular simple present franks, present participle franking, simple past and past participle franked)

1. To shut up in a frank or sty; to pen up; hence, to cram; to fatten.

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?fra?k]
• Rhymes: -a?k

Noun

frank m

1. franc (former currency of France and some other countries)
2. franc (any of several units of currency such as Swiss franc)

Further reading

• frank in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957
• frank in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989

Dutch

Alternative forms

• vrank (archaic, except in the expression vrank en vrij)

Etymology

From Middle Dutch vranc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fr??k/
• Hyphenation: frank
• Rhymes: -??k
• Homophone: Frank

Adjective

frank (comparative franker, superlative frankst)

1. frank, candid, blunt, open-hearted
2. (dated) cheeky, brazen

Inflection

Derived terms

• frank en vrij

Estonian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

frank (genitive [please provide], partitive [please provide])

1. franc

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

German

Etymology

From Middle High German franc, from Old French franc (“free”), of Germanic but eventually uncertain origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f?a?k/

Adjective

frank (not comparable)

1. (archaic) frank

Usage notes

• Now almost exclusively used in the (also somewhat dated) expression frank und frei.

Declension

Further reading

• “frank” in Duden online

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /frank/

Noun

frank m anim

1. franc

Usage notes

Unqualified modern usage typically refers to the Swiss franc.

Declension