Table of Contents
discomfit (verb, noun) –
verb:
1 : to put into a state of perplexity and embarrassment :
2a : to frustrate the plans of
b archaic : to defeat in battle
noun:
the state of being confused, embarrassed, or upset
Source : Merriam -Webster
Etymology : Disconcerted by discomfit and discomfort? Here’s a little usage history that might help. Several usage commentators have, in the past, tried to convince their readers that discomfit means “to rout” or “to completely defeat” and not “to discomfort, embarrass, or make uneasy.” In its earliest uses discomfit did in fact mean “to defeat in battle,” but that sense is now rare, and the extended sense, “to thwart,” is also uncommon. Most of the recent commentaries agree that the sense “to discomfort or disconcert” has become thoroughly established and is the most prevalent meaning of the word. There is one major difference between discomfit and discomfort, though-discomfit is used almost exclusively as a verb, while discomfort is much more commonly used as a noun than a verb.
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