discomfit, discomfort — In this she is greatly assisted by her husband ... who enjoys spreading discomfiture in a good cause as much as she does (Observer). The writer here, like many before him, clearly meant discomfort, which has nothing in common with… … Dictionary of troublesome word
discomfit — discomfit, discomfort Discomfit in current English means ‘to thwart the plans of’ (its original meaning) or ‘to embarrass or disconcert’. In its weaker second meaning, in which it occurs most often in the form discomfited, it overlaps with the… … Modern English usage
discomfort — discomfit, discomfort Discomfit in current English means ‘to thwart the plans of’ (its original meaning) or ‘to embarrass or disconcert’. In its weaker second meaning, in which it occurs most often in the form discomfited, it overlaps with the… … Modern English usage
discomfit — , discomfort In this she is greatly assisted by her husband... who enjoys spreading discomfiture in a good cause as much as she does (Observer). The writer here, like many before him, clearly meant discomfort, which has nothing in common with… … Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors
discomfit — c.1200, from O.Fr. desconfit vanquished, defeated, pp. of desconfire to defeat, destroy, from des not (see DIS (Cf. dis )) + confire make, prepare, accomplish, from L. conficere (see CONFECTION (Cf. confection)). Originally an adjective in… … Etymology dictionary
discomfort — [n] irritation, pain ache, annoyance, discomfiture, discomposure, displeasure, disquiet, distress, embarrassment, hardship, hurt, inquietude, malaise, nuisance, soreness, trouble, uneasiness, unpleasantness, upset, vexation; concepts 410,728 Ant … New thesaurus
discomfort, discomfit, discomfiture — The first of these words is widely used to refer to lack of comfort, uneasiness, and even mild pain: His wet clothing caused him considerable discomfort. Her distress over missing the train made her feel some discomfort. Discomfiture, a much… … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
discomfort — 1. noun 1) abdominal discomfort Syn: pain, aches and pains, soreness, tenderness, irritation, stiffness; ache, twinge, pang, throb, cramp 2) the discomforts of life at sea Syn … Thesaurus of popular words
discomfit — See discomfort, discomfit, discomfiture … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
discomfit — [14] The underlying etymological sense of discomfit is ‘destroy’. It comes from desconfit, the past participle of Old French desconfire ‘defeat’; this in turn was a descendant of Vulgar Latin *disconficere ‘destroy, undo’, a compound verb formed… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
