different between sweetener vs bribe

English

Etymology

sweeten +? -er (“agent suffix”)

Noun

sweetener (plural sweeteners)

1. Something added to food to sweeten its taste, especially an artificial substitute for sugar.
2. (informal) Something given or added to added to a deal to sweeten another's attitude, especially a bribe or kickback.
3. (slang) A shill bidder at an auction.

Synonyms

• (gift or bribe): douceur; see gift and Thesaurus:bribe

Translations

English

Etymology

From Old French briber (“go begging”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: br?b, IPA^(key): /b?a?b/
• Rhymes: -a?b

Noun

bribe (plural bribes)

1. Something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to dishonesty.
   • c. 1613-1625, Henry Hobart, Yardly v. Ellill

     Undue reward for anything against justice is a bribe.

2. That which seduces; seduction; allurement.
   • 1744, Mark Akenside, The Pleasures of the Imagination

     Not the bribes of sordid wealth can seduce to leave these everblooming sweets.

   • 1974, George Fox, Mario Puzo, Earthquake

     Remy, this was a bribe! Our whole marriage has been nothing but a series of bribes!

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:bribe

Derived terms

• bribeless
• bribeproof
• bribetaking

Translations

Verb

bribe (third-person singular simple present bribes, present participle bribing, simple past and past participle bribed)

1. (transitive) To give a bribe to; specifically, to ask a person to do something, usually against his/her will, in exchange for some type of reward or relief from potential trouble.
   • October 23, 1848, Frederick William Robertson, an address delivered at the Opening of The Working Men's Institute

     Neither is he worthy who bribes a man to vote against his conscience.

2. (transitive) To gain by a bribe; to induce as by a bribe.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• ribbe

French

Etymology

Imitative. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?ib/
• Rhymes: -ib

Noun

bribe f (plural bribes)

1. (obsolete) crumb (of bread)
2. scrap, bit

Further reading

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