discomfit

今日取り上げるのもZoobiquityのLeaving the Nestの章に出てきた単語です。
For example, instead of hiding from prowling cheetahs and lions, immature Thomson's gazelles often stroll right toward them. Sometimes the young gazzeles will trail their hunters for an hour or more, as though the big cats, not the small gazelles, are the quarry. Astonishingly, the discomfited predators frequently slink away, but not before the adolescent gazelles have gotten a good eyeful and whiff of the creatures that someday might try to kill them.
人間のみならず思春期の動物は大人から見ると危ない行動を取ると言う興味深い話です。さて、文中に出てくる　"discomfited" ですが、うっかりと "discomfort" と読み飛ばすところでしたが、よく見るとスペルが違います。　"discomfited" も　"discomfit" も知らない単語なので辞書を引きます。
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: to put into a state of perplexity and embarrassment: constant interruptions discomfited her in her attempt to finish the speech, and she finally gave up
・Oxford English Dictionary: Make (someone) feel uneasy or embarrassed.: he was not noticeably discomfited by her tone
Usage: The words discomfit and discomfort are etymologically unrelated. Further, discomfit is a verb and discomfort is primarily a noun. But in modern use, their principal meanings as a verb have collapsed into one: ‘make (someone) feel uneasy.’
語源が異なるのにスペルも意味も似ているとは知りませんでした。