BALANCE, REST, REMAINDER.—­Balance, meaning “the difference between two sides of an account,” is a commercial term, and cannot properly be used for rest or remainder.  Rest is used of persons or things, and of large as well as of small parts. Remainder is used only of things, and denotes a comparatively small part.

CENTRE, MIDDLE.—­The centre is a point, or a definite place; the middle is a line, or a space, and is less definite than centre.

CHARACTER, REPUTATION.—­Character is what a man is; reputation is the prevailing opinion of his character.

COMPLEMENT, COMPLIMENT.—­A complement is a “full quantity or number” or “that which is needed to complete”; a compliment is “an expression of praise.”

CONSCIENCE, CONSCIOUSNESS.—­Conscience is that within us which distinguishes right from wrong. Consciousness is the state of being aware of one’s existence, thoughts, and surroundings.

COUNCIL, COUNSEL.—­A council is “a body of persons convened for consultation.” Counsel denotes “advice,” or “a person, as a lawyer, engaged to give advice.”

CUSTOM, HABIT.—­Custom denotes the frequent repetition of the same act, and may be used of a number of persons taken together. Habit is the effect of custom in a person. Custom is voluntary; habit is involuntary, often uncontrollable, sometimes unconscious.

DECEPTION, DECEIT.—­Deception is “the act of deceiving”; deceit is “deceitfulness,” a trait of character; or a “trick,” an “artifice.”

EGOISTS, EGOISM, EGOTISM.—­“The disciples of Descartes were egoists, the ego being the basis of their philosophy.” Egoism is the name of their system. Egoism is sometimes used also in the sense of undue admiration of self, the outward expression of which is egotism.  But “egotism, in the sense of ‘self-worship,’ is preferable to egoism, since egoism also designates a system of philosophy."[33]

EMIGRATION, IMMIGRATION.—­Emigration is the moving out from a country; immigration, the moving into it.  Foreigners who come to live in America are emigrants from their fatherland, immigrants to America.

ENORMITY, ENORMOUSNESS.—­“Enormity is used of deeds of unusual horror; enormousness, of things of unusual size.  We speak of the enormity of CA|sar Borgia’s crimes, of the enormousness of the Rothschilds’ wealth."[34]

ESTEEM, ESTIMATE, ESTIMATION.—­Esteem as a noun seems to be going out of use; the word now commonly used in the sense of “opinion” or “regard” is estimation.  An estimate is “an approximate judgment, based on considerations of probability, of the number, amount, magnitude, or position of anything.”

FALSITY, FALSENESS.—­“Falsity, in the sense of ’non-conformity to truth,’ without any suggestion of blame, is preferable to falseness, since falseness usually implies blame."[35]