different between brittle vs poignant

English

Etymology

From Middle English britel, brutel, brotel (“brittle”), from Old English *brytel, *bryttol (“brittle, fragile”, literally “prone to or tending to break”); equivalent to brit +? -le.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b??tl?/
• Rhymes: -?t?l

Adjective

brittle (comparative brittler or more brittle, superlative brittlest or most brittle)

1. Inflexible, liable to break or snap easily under stress or pressure.

   Cast iron is much more brittle than forged iron.

   A diamond is hard but brittle.
2. Not physically tough or tenacious; apt to break or crumble when bending.

   Shortbread is my favorite cold pastry, yet being so brittle it crumbles easily, and a lot goes to waste.

3. (archaeology) Said of rocks and minerals with a conchoidal fracture; capable of being knapped or flaked.
4. Emotionally fragile, easily offended.

   What a brittle personality! A little misunderstanding and he's an emotional wreck.

5. (informal, proscribed) Diabetes that is characterized by dramatic swings in blood sugar level.

Derived terms

• brittle bone disease
• brittlebush
• brittlegill
• brittle hair syndrome
• brittlely, brittly
• brittleness
• brittle star
• brittlestem
• quasibrittle

Translations

Noun

brittle (usually uncountable, plural brittles)

1. A confection of caramelized sugar and nuts.

   As a child, my favorite candy was peanut brittle.

2. Anything resembling this confection, such as flapjack, a cereal bar, etc.

Synonyms

• brickle

Translations

See also

• break, breakable
• short (adjective)

References

• brittle in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• blitter, triblet

English

Etymology

From Middle English poynaunt, poynant, borrowed from Anglo-Norman puignant, poynaunt etc., present participle of poindre (“to prick”), from Latin pung? (“prick”).

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??n.j?nt/, /?p???.?nt/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /?p??.n?nt/
• Hyphenation: poign?ant (per American Heritage and Random House); poi?gnant (per Merriam-Webster)

Adjective

poignant (comparative more poignant, superlative most poignant)

1. (obsolete, of a weapon, etc.) Sharp-pointed; keen.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VII:

     His siluer shield, now idle maisterlesse; / His poynant speare, that many made to bleed [...].

2. Neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant.

3. Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving.

   Synonyms: distressing, moving
4. (figuratively, of a smell, taste) Piquant, pungent.
5. (figuratively, of a look, word) Incisive; penetrating; piercing.

6. (chiefly Britain, dated) Inducing sharp physical pain.

Related terms

• poignancy
• poignantly

Translations

References

• OED 2nd edition 1989
• Webster Third New International 1986

Anagrams

• Paignton

French

Etymology

From Old French poignant, present participle of poindre. Possibly corresponds to Latin pung?ns, pungentem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pwa.???/

Verb

poignant

1. present participle of poindre
2. present participle of poigner

Adjective

poignant (feminine singular poignante, masculine plural poignants, feminine plural poignantes)

1. poignant

References

Further reading

• “poignant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Old French

Etymology

Present participle of poindre. Possibly corresponds to Latin pung?ns, pungentem.

Verb

poignant

1. present participle of poindre

Adjective

poignant m (oblique and nominative feminine singular poignant or poignante)

1. pointed; pointy

Descendants

• ? English: poignant
• French: poignant