different between trounce vs assail

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /t?a?ns/
• Rhymes: -a?ns

Etymology 1

The origin of the verb is unknown; it is perhaps related to Old French troncer, troncher, troncir, tronchir (“to cut; to cut a piece from; to retrench”), from Old French tronce, tronche (“stump; piece of wood”). However, the English and Old French words differ in meaning.

The noun is derived from the verb.

Verb

trounce (third-person singular simple present trounces, present participle trouncing, simple past and past participle trounced)

1. (transitive) To beat severely; to thrash.
2. (transitive) To beat or overcome thoroughly, to defeat heavily; especially (games, sports) to win against (someone) by a wide margin.
3. (transitive) To chastise or punish physically or verbally; to scold with abusive language.

   Synonyms: censure, (verbal punishment) rebuke
4. (transitive, Britain, regional) To punish by bringing a lawsuit against; to sue.

Derived terms

• trouncer
• trouncing (noun)

Translations

Noun

trounce (plural trounces)

1. An act of trouncing: a severe beating, a thrashing; a thorough defeat.

Translations

Etymology 2

The verb is derived from Middle English traunce, trauncen, trancen (“to move about (?); to prance (?); to trample the ground”) (whence modern English trance with the same senses), possibly either:

• from Middle English trauncen, transen (“to pass from life to death, die”), from Old French transir (“to cut through, pass through”), from Latin tr?ns?re, present active infinitive of tr?nse? (“to cross, traverse; to go over (to a side or faction); to pass over; to exceed, surpass; of time: to elapse, pass; (figuratively) to cease, pass away”), from tr?ns (“across; beyond”) + e? (“to go”); or
• a blend of Middle English tramplen (“to tread on, trample”) + dauncen (“to dance”) or prauncen (“to prance”).

The noun is probably derived from the verb.

Verb

trounce (third-person singular simple present trounces, present participle trouncing, simple past and past participle trounced) (Britain, dialectal)

1. (intransitive) To walk heavily or with some difficulty; to tramp, to trudge.

   Synonym: (obsolete except dialectal) trance
2. (intransitive) To pass across or over; to traverse.

   Synonym: (obsolete except dialectal) trance
3. (intransitive) To travel quickly over a long distance.

   Synonym: (obsolete except dialectal) trance

Noun

trounce (plural trounces) (Britain, dialectal)

1. A walk involving some difficulty or effort; a trek, a tramp, a trudge.
2. A journey involving quick travel; also, one that is dangerous or laborious.

   Synonym: (obsolete except dialectal) trance

References

• “TROUNCE, sb. and v.²” in Joseph Wright, editor, The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volume VI (T–Z, Supplement, Bibliography and Grammar), London: Published by Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1905, ?OCLC, page 248, column 1.

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “trounce”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• Counter, Cureton, Cutrone, cornute, counter, counter-, countre, recount

English

Etymology

From Middle English assailen, from Old French asaillir, from Latin assili?, from ad (“towards”) + sali? (“to jump”). See also assault.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??se?l/
• Rhymes: -e?l

Verb

assail (third-person singular simple present assails, present participle assailing, simple past and past participle assailed)

1. (transitive) To attack with harsh words or violent force (also figuratively).
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, London: William Ponsonby, Book 1, Canto 6, pp. 76-77,^[1]

     With greedy force he gan the fort assayle,

     Whereof he weend possesse soone to bee,

     And win rich spoile of ransackt chastitee.

   • c. 1600, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, Scene 1,^[2]

     […] let us once again assail your ears,

     That are so fortified against our story,

     What we two nights have seen.

   • 1897, Saki, “The Story-teller” in Beasts and Super-beasts, London: John Lane, 1914, p. 238,^[3]

     “ […] for the next six months or so those children will assail her in public with demands for an improper story!”

   • 1942, Zora Neale Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road, New York: Arno Press and The New York Times, 1969, Chapter 14, p. 258,^[4]

     We got married immediately after I finished my work […] which should have been the happiest day of my life. […] ¶ But, it was not my happiest day. I was assailed by doubts.

   • 2007, Ng?g? wa Thiong’o, Wizard of the Crow, Nairobo: East African Educational Publishers, Book 2, Chapter 3, p. 64,^[5]

     He did not like being in crowds, foul smells galore assailing his nostrils.

Related terms

• assailable
• assailant
• assailer
• assailment
• assault
• reassail
• unassailed

Translations

Anagrams

• Alissa