compel vs obligate what difference
what is difference between compel and obligate
English
Etymology
From Middle English compellen, borrowed from Middle French compellir, from Latin compellere, itself from com- (“together”) + pellere (“to drive”). Displaced native Middle English fordriven (“to drive out, to lead to, to compel, to force”), from Old English fordrīfan. More at fordrive.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kəmˈpɛl/
- Rhymes: -ɛl
- Hyphenation: com‧pel
Verb
compel (third-person singular simple present compels, present participle compelling, simple past and past participle compelled)
- (transitive, archaic, literally) To drive together, round up (Can we add an example for this sense?)
- (transitive) To overpower; to subdue.
- (transitive) To force, constrain or coerce.
- Logic compels the wise, while fools feel compelled by emotions.
- 1600, William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, act 5, scene 1,
- Against my will, / As Pompey was, am I compell’d to set / Upon one battle all our liberties.
- 1827, Henry Hallam, The Constitutional History of England
- Wolsey […] compelled the people to pay up the whole subsidy at once.
- (transitive) To exact, extort, (make) produce by force.
- (obsolete) To force to yield; to overpower; to subjugate.
- Easy sleep their weary limbs compell’d.
- ?, Alfred Tennyson, Geraint and Enid
- I compel all creatures to my will.
- (obsolete) To gather or unite in a crowd or company.
- in one troop compell’d
- (obsolete) To call forth; to summon.
Derived terms
Related terms
- compulsion
Translations
References
- compel in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- “compel” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- Random House Webster’s Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin obligātus, past participle of obligō. Doublet of oblige, taken through French.
Pronunciation
- (US) (verb): enPR: äʹblĭgāt, IPA(key): /ˈɑblɪɡeɪt/
- (adjective): enPR: äʹblĭgət, IPA(key): /ˈɑblɪɡət/
- (UK) (verb): enPR: ôbʹlĭgāt, IPA(key): /ˈɒblɪɡeɪt/
- (adjective): enPR: ôbʹlĭgət, IPA(key): /ˈɒblɪɡət/
Verb
obligate (third-person singular simple present obligates, present participle obligating, simple past and past participle obligated)
- (transitive, Canada, US, Scotland) To bind, compel, constrain, or oblige by a social, legal, or moral tie.
- (transitive, Canada, US, Scotland) To cause to be grateful or indebted; to oblige.
- (transitive, Canada, US, Scotland) To commit (money, for example) in order to fulfill an obligation.
Usage notes
In non-legal usage, almost exclusively used in the passive, in form “obligated to X” where ‘X’ is a verb infinitive or noun phrase, as in “obligated to pay”. Further, it is now only in standard use in American English and some dialects such as Scottish, having disappeared from standard British English by the 20th century, being replaced by obliged (it was previously used in the 17th through 19th centuries).
Synonyms
- (force, compel): See also: force: Synonyms
Derived terms
- obligation
- obligatory
Translations
Adjective
obligate (comparative more obligate, superlative most obligate)
- (biology) Able to exist or survive only in a particular environment or by assuming a particular role.
- (a plant able to reproduce only from seed.)
- Absolutely indispensable; essential.
Translations
Antonyms
- facultative
- optional
Related terms
References
- obligate at OneLook Dictionary Search
- obligate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Esperanto
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /obliˈɡate/
- Hyphenation: o‧bli‧ga‧te
- Rhymes: -ate
Verb
obligate
- present adverbial passive participle of obligi
German
Pronunciation
Adjective
obligate
- inflection of obligat:
- strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
- strong nominative/accusative plural
- weak nominative all-gender singular
- weak accusative feminine/neuter singular
Latin
Participle
obligāte
- vocative masculine singular of obligātus