different between watchfulness vs concern

English

Etymology

watchful +? -ness

Noun

watchfulness (countable and uncountable, plural watchfulnesses)

1. The state or quality of being watchful; alertness, vigilance or wakefulness.

   Continuous watchfulness is maintained around the clock.

   • 1665, Robert Hooke, Micrographia, Preface,^[1]

     The first thing to be undertaken in this weighty work, is a watchfulness over the failings and an inlargement of the dominion, of the Senses.

   • 1784, Samuel Johnson, letter addressed to Mr. Langton dated 25 August, 1784, cited in James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson, London: Charles Dilly, 1791, Volume 2, p. 545,^[2]

     Nights of watchfulness produce torpid days […]

   • 1896, H. G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau, New York: Stone & Kimball, Chapter 9, p. 82,^[3]

     Every dark form in the dimness had its ominous quality, its peculiar suggestion of alert watchfulness.

   • 1944, Neville Shute, Pastoral, London: Heinemann, Chapter 4,

     The steady rhythm of the engines, the fact that he had been sleeping badly, the boredom of a flight that he had done so many times before and did not want to do again, the long humiliation and unhappiness that was always in the background of his mind, all fought against his watchfulness.

Related terms

• watchful

Translations

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French concerner, from Medieval Latin concern?, concernere (“I distinguish, have respect to”), from Latin concern? (“I mix, sift, or mingle together, as in a sieve”), combined form of con- + cern? (“distinguish”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /k?n?s?n/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /k?n?s??n/
• Rhymes: -??(?)n
• Hyphenation: con?cern

Noun

concern (countable and uncountable, plural concerns)

1. That which affects one’s welfare or happiness. A matter of interest to someone.

   Synonym: interest

2. The expression of solicitude, anxiety, or compassion toward a thing or person.
3. A business, firm or enterprise; a company.

4. (programming) Any set of information that affects the code of a computer program.
   • 2006, Awais Rashid, Mehmet Aksit, Transactions on Aspect-Oriented Software Development II, page 148:

     At the programming level, an aspect is a modular unit that implements a concern.

Translations

Further reading

• concern in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• concern in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Verb

concern (third-person singular simple present concerns, present participle concerning, simple past and past participle concerned)

1. (transitive) To relate or belong to; to have reference to or connection with; to affect the interest of; to be of importance to.
   • 1611, Bible (KJV), Acts xxviii. 31

     Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ.

   • 1708, Joseph Addison, The Present State of the War, and the Necessity of an Augmentation

     our wars with France have always affected us in our most tender interests, and concerned us more than those we have had with any other nation

   • 1821, James Fenimore Cooper, The Spy

     ignorant, so far as the usual instruction was concerned
2. (transitive) To engage by feeling or sentiment; to interest.
   • a. 1729, John Rogers, A Sufficiency adjusted and recommended

     They think themselves out the reach of Providence, and no longer concerned to solicit his favour.
3. (transitive) To make somebody worried.

Synonyms

• (to be of importance to): See also Thesaurus:pertain

Derived terms

• concernable

Translations

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English concern.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?n?s?rn/
• Hyphenation: con?cern
• Rhymes: -?rn

Noun

concern n (plural concerns, diminutive concerntje n)

1. company, business, concern

Derived terms

• chemieconcern