Discomfit
/dɪsˈkʌm.fɪt/noun
To defeat, frustrate, or make someone feel uneasy or embarrassed.
Did you know?In Middle English, discomfit could mean not just “confuse” but outright “defeat in battle,” and its older French ancestor was tied to being “put to shame” or “routed.”
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
dis- + competere
“to contend against, strive together”
Old French
Old French
desconfit
“defeated, routed, ruined”
Middle English
English
discomfiten
“to defeat, rout, overthrow”
Modern English
English
discomfit
“to embarrass, unsettle, or thwart”