d, support,
assist, encourage, stand by, sustain,

_Help_ expresses greater dependence and deeper need than _aid_. In
extremity we say "God _help_ me!" rather than "God _aid_ me!" In time of
danger we cry "_help! help!_" rather than "_aid! aid!_" To _aid_ is to
_second_ another's own exertions. We can speak of _helping_ the
helpless, but not of _aiding_ them. _Help_ includes _aid_, but _aid_ may
fall short of the meaning of _help_. In law to _aid_ or _abet_ makes one
a principal. (Compare synonyms for ACCESSORY.) To _cooperate_ is to
_aid_ as an equal; to _assist_ implies a subordinate and secondary
relation. One _assists_ a fallen friend to rise; he _cooperates_ with
him in helping others. _Encourage_ refers to mental _aid_, as _uphold_
now usually does; _succor_ and _support_, oftenest to material
assistance. We _encourage_ the timid or despondent, _succor_ the
endangered, _support_ the weak, _uphold_ those who else might be shaken
or cast down. Compare ABET; PROMOTE.

Antonyms:

counteract, discourage, oppose, resist, thwart, withstand.

Prepositions:

Help _in_ an enterprise _with_ money; help _to_ success; _against_ the
enemy.

* * * * *

HERETIC.

Synonyms:

dissenter, heresiarch, non-conformist, schismatic.

Etymologically, a _heretic_ is one who takes or chooses his own belief,
instead of the belief of his church; hence, a _heretic_ is one who
denies commonly accepted views, or who holds opinions contrary to the
recognized standard or tenets of any established religious,
philosophical, or other system, school, or party; the religious sense of
the word is the predominant one; a _schismatic_ is primarily one who
produces a split or rent in the church. A _heretic_ differs in doctrine
from the religious body with which he is connected; a _schismatic_
differs in doctrine or practise, or in both. A _heretic_ may be
reticent, or even silent; a _schismatic_ introduces divisions. A
_heresiarch_ is the author of a heresy or the leader of a heretical
party, and is thus at once a _heretic_ and a _schismatic_. With
advancing ideas of religious liberty, the odious sense once attached to
these words is largely modified, and _heretic_ is often used playfully.
_Dissenter_ and _non-conformist_ are terms specifically applied to
English subjects who hold themselves aloof from the Church of England;
the former term is extended to non-adherents of the established chu