different between fight vs onset

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English fighten, from Old English feohtan (“to fight, combat, strive”), from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan, from Proto-Germanic *fehtan? (“to comb, tease, shear, struggle with”), from Proto-Indo-European *pe?- (“to comb, shear”).

Cognate with Scots fecht (“to fight”), West Frisian fjochtsje, fjuchte (“to fight”), Dutch vechten (“to fight”), Low German fechten (“to fight”), German fechten (“to fight, fence”), Swedish fäkta (“to fence, to fight (using blade weapons), to wave vigorously (and carelessly) with one's arms”), Latin pect? (“comb, thrash”, verb), Albanian pjek (“to hit, strive, fight”), Ancient Greek ???? (pék?, “comb or card wool”, verb). Related also to Old English feht (“wool, shaggy pelt, fleece”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: f?t, IPA^(key): /fa?t/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): [f??t]
• Rhymes: -a?t

Verb

fight (third-person singular simple present fights, present participle fighting, simple past fought, past participle fought or (archaic) foughten)

1. (intransitive) To contend in physical conflict, either singly or in war, battle etc.

2. (reciprocal) To contend in physical conflict with each other, either singly or in war, battle etc.

3. (intransitive) To strive for something; to campaign or contend for success.
4. (transitive) To conduct or engage in (battle, warfare etc.).
   • 1856, Thomas Macaulay, Life of Samuel Johnson

     was left to fight his way through the world.

   • I have fought a good fight.

5. (transitive) To engage in combat with; to oppose physically, to contest with.

6. (transitive) To try to overpower; to fiercely counteract.
7. (transitive, archaic) To cause to fight; to manage or manoeuvre in a fight.

8. (intransitive) Of colours or other design elements: to clash; to fail to harmonize.

Conjugation

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:fight

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: feti

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English fight, feyght, fi?t, fecht, from Old English feoht, ?efeoht, from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan, from Proto-Germanic *feht?, *gafeht? (“fight, struggle”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtan? (“to struggle with”). Cognate with Dutch gevecht, German Gefecht.

Noun

fight (countable and uncountable, plural fights)

1. An occasion of fighting.

2. (archaic) A battle between opposing armies.
3. A physical confrontation or combat between two or more people or groups.

4. (sports) A boxing or martial arts match.

5. A conflict, possibly nonphysical, with opposing ideas or forces; strife.

6. (uncountable) The will or ability to fight.

7. (obsolete) A screen for the combatants in ships.
   • 1673, John Dryden, Amboyna

     Up with your fights, and your nettings prepare.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:fight

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: feti
  • ? Dutch: fittie
• ? Japanese: ???? (faito)

Translations

English

Etymology

From on- +? set. Compare Old English onsettan (“to impose; oppress, bear down”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??n?s?t/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??n?s?t/
• (US, cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /??n?s?t/

Noun

onset (plural onsets)

1. (archaic) An attack; an assault especially of an army.

   Synonym: storming

   • 1800, William Wordsworth, Six thousand Veterans

     Who on that day the word of onset gave.

2. (medicine) The initial phase of a disease or condition, in which symptoms first become apparent.

3. (phonology) The initial portion of a syllable, preceding the syllable nucleus.

   Synonym: anlaut

   Antonym: coda

   Coordinate terms: nucleus, coda, rime

   Holonym: syllable

4. (acoustics) The beginning of a musical note or other sound, in which the amplitude rises from zero to an initial peak.
5. A setting about; a beginning.

   Synonyms: start, beginning; see also Thesaurus:beginning

   • 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Delays

     There is surely no greater wisdom than well to time the beginnings and onsets of things.
6. (obsolete) Anything added, such as an ornament or as a useful appendage.
   • 1592, William Shakespeare , Titus Andronicus, Act 1, Scene 1

     And will with deeds requite thy gentleness:

     And, for an onset, Titus, to advance

     Thy name and honourable family,

     Lavinia will I make my empress.

Translations

Verb

onset (third-person singular simple present onsets, present participle onsetting, simple past and past participle onset)

1. (obsolete) To assault; to set upon.
2. (obsolete) To set about; to begin.

References

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

Anagrams

• 'onest, ETNOs, Eston, SONET, Stone, notes, onest, set on, seton, steno, steno-, stone, tones