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.
实用例句
1. The teacher is completely discomfit by the unexpected question.
老师被那意外的问题完全扰乱(楞住了).
来自互联网
2. To cause to feel chagrin ; mortify or discomfit.
使懊恼,使受屈辱,使窘迫.
来自互联网
3. Flash forth lightning, and scatter them; Send forth Your arrows, and discomfit them.
