different between vex vs affront

English

Etymology

From Middle English vexen, from Old French vexer, from Latin v?x?re (“disturb, agitate, annoy”). Displaced native Middle English grillen (“to vex, annoy”) from Old English grillan. Doublet of quake.

Pronunciation

• enPR: v?ks, IPA^(key): /v?ks/
• Rhymes: -?ks

Verb

vex (third-person singular simple present vexes, present participle vexing, simple past and past participle vexed or (archaic) vext)

1. (transitive, now rare) To trouble aggressively, to harass.
2. (transitive) To annoy, irritate.

3. (transitive) To cause (mental) suffering to; to distress.
4. (transitive, rare) To twist, to weave.

   • some English wool, vexed in a Belgian loom

5. (intransitive, obsolete) To be irritated; to fret.
   • 1613, George Chapman, The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois

     Wake when thou would'st wake, fear nought, vex for nought

6. (transitive) To toss back and forth; to agitate; to disquiet.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:vex.

Synonyms

• (to annoy): agitate, irk, irritate
• (to cause mental suffering): afflict, grame, torment

Derived terms

Related terms

• quake
• vexatious

Translations

Noun

vex (plural vexes)

1. (Scotland, obsolete) A trouble.

References

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

Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

vex

1. Alternative form of wax (“wax”)

Etymology 2

Verb

vex

1. Alternative form of vexen

English

Etymology

From Middle English afrounten, from Old French afronter (“to defy”), from Vulgar Latin *affrontare (“to hit in the face”), from Latin ad (“to”) + fr?ns (“forehead”) (English front).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??f??nt/
• Rhymes: -?nt

Verb

affront (third-person singular simple present affronts, present participle affronting, simple past and past participle affronted)

1. To insult intentionally, especially openly.
2. To meet defiantly; to confront.

   to affront death

   • 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia, Faber & Faber 1992 (Avignon Quintet), p. 436:

     Avignon was beginning to settle down for the night – that long painful stretch of time which must somehow be affronted.

3. (obsolete) To meet or encounter face to face.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:offend

Translations

Noun

affront (plural affronts)

1. An open or intentional offense, slight, or insult.
2. (obsolete) A hostile encounter or meeting.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:offense

Related terms

• effrontery

Translations

References

• “affront”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

French

Etymology

From Old French afront. Synchronically analysable as a deverbal of affronter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.f???/

Noun

affront m (plural affronts)

1. affront, insult, snub

Derived terms

• afront

Descendants

• ? Polish: afront
• ? Romanian: afront

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• offrant

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??fr?nt/

Verb

affront (third-person singular present affronts, present participle affrontin, past affrontit, past participle affrontit)

1. to affront; cause to feel ashamed; cause to blush; to humiliate (in front of others), to offend (not necessarily with intention)

References

• Eagle, Andy, ed. (2016) The Online Scots Dictionary, Scots Online.