discomfit

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The Word of the Day for August 14 is:

discomfit   \diss-KUM-fit\   verb
     1 : to frustrate the plans of : thwart 
    *2 : to put into a state of perplexity and embarrassment : disconcert

Example sentence:
     The governor appeared to be discomfited by the reporter's question, and he 
struggled for a way to change the subject.

Did you know?
     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.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.  





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