Demur (which kind of rhymes with .) postpone) is a verb that means “to oppose” and a noun that means “an act or case of objection.” Presentable (which kind of rhymes with .) not clear) is an adjective meaning “reserved, modest.”
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These words look very similar and can easily be used when you want to use the other. To learn how to keep them straight, read on.
Most of the time, hesitaterhyme (arranged) with preferplay , which is a verb meaning “to take exception”, “to object”, as follows:
Harry the Dog’s peonies were huge, but when Mabel the Cat insisted that the County Fair’s Green Ribbon was definitely his, he refused, noting that his dahlias were his. Mabel is almost 12 inches in diameter.
It also functions as a noun, with the most common meaning being “an act or case of protest; objection,” as in:
Mabel accepted Harry’s reply without hesitation, but to him, there seemed to be a definite smug look on her face.
Meanwhile, there are presentable. It’s an adjective, and it rhymes (sort of) with sureplay . It is used to mean “reserved, modest,” or “affected modestly, reservedly, or seriously; timidly,” as in:
When the day of the Fair arrived, both Mabel and Harry were perplexed to find Jaime the Gerbil strikingly negotiating over a particularly noisy specimen of the Amorphophallus titan—the corpse flower—on the platform. The judge’s green face contrasted nicely with the blue of the ribbon, which Jaime humbly accepted with a dignified bow.
the origin of Demur And Presentable
The origins of this pair seem completely different: hesitate enter English during the Middle English period, when synonymous with the previous word bring down And Earth means “to linger.” That pair is inherited from the Anglo-French versions of Latin origin demoralizefrom remove And Sacramentsmeans “to linger.” Morari in turn come from moralitymeans “delay.”
Presentable slightly younger and of uncertain origin, although it may closely resemble Middle English prison, meure, meaning “sober, decent” and “modest, gentle,” from an Anglo-French repetition meaning “ripe, mature.” the presence of remove in modern words, however, is a puzzle for our etymologist.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
