different between trounce vs smite

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

Alternative forms

• smight (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English smiten, from Old English sm?tan (“to daub, smear, smudge; soil, defile, pollute”), from Proto-Germanic *sm?tan? (“to sling; throw; smear”), from Proto-Indo-European *smeyd- (“to smear, whisk, strike, rub”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian smiete (“to throw, toss”), West Frisian smite (“to throw”), Low German smieten (“to throw, chuck, toss”), Dutch smijten (“to fling, hurl, throw”), Middle Low German besmitten (“to soil, sully”), German schmeißen (“to fling, throw”), Danish smide (“to throw”), Gothic ???????????????????????????????????? (bismeitan, “to besmear, anoint”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: sm?t, IPA^(key): /sma?t/
• Rhymes: -a?t

Verb

smite (third-person singular simple present smites, present participle smiting, simple past smote or smited or (obsolete) smit, past participle smitten or smote or smited or (obsolete) smit)

1. (archaic) To hit, to strike.
   • It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. […]. He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.
2. To strike down or kill with godly force.
   • 1611, King James Version, Exodus 3:19–20:

     And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.
3. To injure with divine power.
4. To kill violently; to slay.
5. To put to rout in battle; to overthrow by war.
6. To afflict; to chasten; to punish.
   • 1688, William Wake, Preparation for Death

     Let us not mistake the goodness of God, nor imagine that because he smites us, therefore we are forsaken by him.
7. (figuratively, now only in passive) To strike with love or infatuation.

Noun

smite (plural smites)

1. (archaic, rare) A heavy blow or stroke with a weapon, tool or the hand.

Translations

Anagrams

• METIs, MSTie, Metis, Métis, STEMI, Times, e-stim, emits, i-stem, items, metis, mites, métis, setim, stime, times

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian sm?ta, from Proto-Germanic *sm?tan?, from Proto-Indo-European *smeyd-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?smit?/

Verb

smite

1. to throw
2. to fling

Inflection

Further reading

• “smite (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011