discomfit
pronunciation
How to pronounce discomfit in British English:
UK [dɪsˈkʌmfɪt]
How to pronounce discomfit in American English:
US [dɪsˈkʌmfɪt]
-
- Verb:
- cause to lose one's composure
Word Origin
- discomfit
- 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 from the prefix dis- ‘un-’ and conficere ‘put together, complete, accomplish’ (source of English comfit, confection, and confetti). Its original English meaning ‘defeat’ has weakened over the centuries to ‘disconcert’, probably due to the influence of discomfort, with which it is often confused.=> comfit, confection, confetti
- discomfit (v.)
- c. 1200, as an adjective, from Old French desconfit "vanquished, defeated," past participle of desconfire "to defeat, destroy," from des- "not" (see dis-) + confire "make, prepare, accomplish," from Latin conficere (see confection). Used as a verb in English from c. 1300. Weaker sense of "disconcert" is first recorded 1520s in English, probably by confusion with discomfort. Related: Discomfited; discomfiting.
Example
- 1. Any outcome may discomfit mr kretschmann .
- 2. The teacher be completely discomfit by the unexpected question .
- 3. You must not allow our difficult way of life to discomfit you .
- 4. The teacheriscompletely discomfit by the unexpected question .
- 5. But jehovah thy god will deliver them up before thee , and will discomfit them with a great discomfiture , until they be destroyed .