In any good story, we are likely to see a villain discomfited at least once by a hero. In a bold story, we see a hero thwarted by a villain. In a children's storybook, the hero always prevails. I've noticed that more novels and their writers have found that neat balance between good and evil, remembering that there is always a gray area between what is good and bad in a person's eyes.
It's kind of the same gray area we see between discomfit and discomfort, which I'm sure many of my lovely readers have noticed. It's a fine line we find ourselves drawing as we pick apart these two words and dive deep into the joys of the English language.
Discomfit | dis-ˈkəm(p)-fət: 1) verb: to put into a state of perplexity and embarrassment, disconcert; to frustrate the plans of, thwart; (archaic) to defeat in battle; 2) noun: the state of being confused, embarrassed, or upset, discomfiture
Unlike many of the words I've chosen thus far, which had Old English and Latin roots, discomfit mixed Latin with French as it carved its way into our modern language. The two words that came together to make the original words, discomfiter and desconfire - the first Anglo-French, the other Old French, both meaning to defeat, destroy - were drawn from des- (Old French for not) and confire (Old French for make, prepare, accomplish).
Breaking confire down further, we find our first Latin root, conficere, meaning to prepare. Of course, this can be broken down further into smaller root words, but this is all that's relevant. Eventually, the Old French words evolved into the word we see today, discomfit. However, the original meaning, to defeat in battle, has become obsolete through the years. Even the second meaning, to thwart, is slowly dying out.
Of course, that doesn't mean we can't still use it in our narrative. Especially in dialogue for peoples in a medieval setting. That's where the fun of archaic and obsolete definitions come in handy!
Discomfit | dɪsˈkʌmfɪt: verb: Make (someone) feel uneasy or embarrassed
In the book that I'm using for today's example, there were actually three to choose from, all of which were beautiful uses of the word. With the setting in a more medieval period as well, it makes sense that the word would be used more often, as it was much more popular after its initial use in the late 14th century.
If her dragons discomfited Daario Naharis, he hid it well. For all the mind he paid them, they might have been three kittens playing with a mouse.
One last major note - to tell the big difference between discomfit and discomfort is as such: discomfit - while it can be used as a noun - is most often used as a verb. Discomfort, on the other hand, almost always appears as a noun. To feel discomfort from someone is to be discomfited.
That being said, how would you use discomfit, if at all? Would you simply use a different word or even modify the sentence for something a bit simpler? Let me know, and until next time, happy reading!
*Special thanks to etymonline for the breakdown of the origin of discomfit!
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