different between sway vs licence

English

Etymology

Earlier swey (“to fall, swoon”), from Middle English sweyen, from Old Norse sveigja (“to bend, bow”), from Proto-Germanic *swaigijan? (compare Saterland Frisian swooie (“to swing, wave, wobble”), Dutch zwaaien, Dutch Low Saxon sweuen (“to sway in the wind”), from Proto-Indo-European *sweh?- (compare Lithuanian sva?gti (“to become giddy or dizzy”), the second element of Avestan ????????????????????-????????????????????????????? (paⁱri-šxuaxta, “to surround”), Sanskrit ?????? (svájate, “he embraces, enfolds”).

The noun derived from the verb.

Pronunciation

• enPR: sw?, IPA^(key): /swe?/
• Rhymes: -e?

Noun

sway (countable and uncountable, plural sways)

1. The act of swaying; a swaying motion; a swing or sweep of a weapon.
2. A rocking or swinging motion.

3. Influence, weight, or authority that inclines to one side
4. Preponderance; turn or cast of balance.
5. Rule; dominion; control; power.
6. A switch or rod used by thatchers to bind their work.
7. The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's lateral motion.

Translations

Verb

sway (third-person singular simple present sways, present participle swaying, simple past and past participle swayed)

1. To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward; to rock.

   • Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.

2. To move or wield with the hand; to swing; to wield.
3. To influence or direct by power, authority, persuasion, or by moral force; to rule; to govern; to guide. Compare persuade.

   • This was the race / To sway the world, and land and sea subdue.
4. To cause to incline or swing to one side, or backward and forward; to bias; to turn; to bend; warp.
   • 1663, John Tillotson, The Wisdom of being Religious

     Let not temporal and little advantages sway you against a more durable interest.

5. (nautical) To hoist (a mast or yard) into position.

6. To be drawn to one side by weight or influence; to lean; to incline.
   • 1623, Francis Bacon, A Discourse of a War with Spain

     The balance sways on our part.

7. To have weight or influence.
   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     The example of sundry churches […] doth sway much.

8. To bear sway; to rule; to govern.

Derived terms

• asway

Translations

See also

• persuade

Anagrams

• -ways, Yaws, ways, yaws

English

Etymology

From Old French licence, from Latin licentia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?la?s?ns/
• Hyphenation: li?cence

Noun

licence (countable and uncountable, plural licences)

1. (Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand) Standard spelling of license.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

licence (third-person singular simple present licences, present participle licencing, simple past and past participle licenced)

1. (Britain, Canada, South Africa, nonstandard) Alternative form of license

Usage notes

• In British English, Canadian English, Irish English, Australian English, South African English, and New Zealand English the noun is spelled licence and the verb is license.
• The spelling licence is not used for either part of speech in the United States.

Translations

Czech

Etymology

From Latin licentia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?l?.tsen.tse/

Noun

licence f

1. licence (UK), license (US)

Declension

Further reading

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

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin licentia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /li.s??s/
• Rhymes: -??s
• Homophone: licences

Noun

licence f (plural licences)

1. licence
2. permit, certificate
3. (education) bachelor's degree (more accurately in France Bac+3)
4. (somewhat archaic) licence: excessive or undue freedom or liberty

Derived terms

• licencier
  • licenciement
• licencieux

Related terms

• loisir

Descendants

• ? Turkish: lisans

Further reading

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

Hungarian

Etymology

licenc +? -e (possessive suffix)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?lit?s?nt?s?]
• Hyphenation: li?cen?ce

Noun

licence

1. third-person singular single-possession possessive of licenc

Declension

Old French

Noun

licence f (oblique plural licences, nominative singular licence, nominative plural licences)

1. leave; permission to be away, to be not present

Descendants

• French: licence
• ? English: licence, license