advantage

• advauntage (obsolete)

From Middle English avantage, avauntage, from Old French avantage, from avant (“before”), from Medieval Latin abante. The spelling with d was a mistake, a- being supposed to be from Latin ad (see advance). For sense development, compare foredeal.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ədˈvɑːn.tɪdʒ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ədˈvæn.tɪdʒ/

• Audio (US)

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advantage (countable and uncountable, plural advantages)

1. (countable) Any condition, circumstance, opportunity or means, particularly favorable to success, or to any desired end.

   The enemy had the advantage of a more elevated position.

   • 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:

     In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare

     Give me advantage of some brief discourse.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Macaulay

     the advantages of a close alliance

2. (obsolete) Superiority; mastery; — used with of to specify its nature or with over to specify the other party.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, 2 Corinthians ii. 11

     Lest Satan should get an advantage of us.

3. (countable, uncountable) Superiority of state, or that which gives it; benefit; gain; profit

   the advantage of a good constitution

   Having the faster car is of little advantage.

4. (tennis) The score where one player wins a point after deuce but needs the next to carry the game.
5. (soccer) The continuation of the game after a foul against the attacking team, because the attacking team are in an advantageous position.
   • November 17 2012, BBC Sport: Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham

     Webb played an advantage that enabled Cazorla to supply a low cross from the left for Giroud to sweep home first time, despite Gallas and Vertonghen being in close attendance.

6. Interest of money; increase; overplus (as the thirteenth in the baker's dozen).
   • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare

     And with advantage means to pay thy love.

• foredeal, benefit, value, edge
• vantage

• disadvantage, drawback

• advance
• vantage

advantage (third-person singular simple present advantages, present participle advantaging, simple past and past participle advantaged)

1. (transitive) to provide (someone) with an advantage, to give an edge to [from 15th c.]
2. (reflexive) to do something for one's own benefit; to take advantage of [from 16th c.]
   • 1603, John Florio, transl.; Michel de Montaigne, chapter 7, in The Essayes, […], book II, printed at London: By Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:

     No man of courage vouchsafeth to advantage himselfe [transl. s'avantager] of that which is common unto many.

• Some authorities object to the use of advantage as a verb meaning "to provide with an advantage".

• favor, favorise
• benefit

• advantageable

• advantage at OneLook Dictionary Search
• advantage in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

From Old French, see above.

advantage m (plural advantages)

1. advantage
   • 1595, Michel de Montaigne, Essais:

     Et pour commencer a luy oster son plus grand advantage contre nous, prenons voye toute contraire a la commune.

     And to start removing the biggest advantage it has against us, let's the take opposite route the the usual one

• advantageux

• French: avantage
  • → Albanian: avantazh
  • → Spanish: ventaja
  • → Turkish: avantaj