scathe
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /skeɪð/
ipa: /skeɪθ/
rhymes: -eɪð
rhymes: -eɪθ
Forms: form: scathes
form: scath
form: skaith
form: scaith
Etymology: From Middle English scath, scathe [and other forms], from Old Norse skaði (“damage, harm; loss; death; murder”), from Proto-Germanic *skaþô (“damage, scathe; one who causes damage, injurer”, noun) (whence Old English sċeaþa, sċeaþu (“scathe, harm, injury”)), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keh₁t- (“damage, harm”). Cognate with German Schaden (“damage, harm”).
cognates
* Scots skaith
* Dutch schade
* German schaden
* Norwegian skade
* Swedish skada
* Icelandic skaði
* Polish szkoda
* Russian шко́да (škóda)
* Belarusian шко́дa (škóda)
* Ukrainian шко́да (škóda)
Senses: examples: text: Therefore great Lords bee as your titles vvitnes, / Imperious, and impatient of your vvrongs, / And vvherein Rome hath done you any ſkath, / Let him make treable ſatisfaction.
ref: c. 1588–1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, and are to be sold by Edward White & Thomas Millington, […], published 1594, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], signature [H4], recto:
text: [S]trong ale and noble cheere / t'aſſwage breeme winters ſcathes.
ref: 1606?, Michaell Drayton [i.e., Michael Drayton], “Ode 7”, in Poemes Lyrick and Pastorall. […], London: […] R. B[radock] for N[icholas] L[ing] and I[ohn] Flasket, →OCLC; republished in Poemes Lyrick and Pastorall (Publications of the Spenser Society, New Series; 4), [Manchester: […] Charles E. Simms] for the Spenser Society, 1891, →OCLC, page 22:
text: I red ye weel, tak care o' ſkaith, / See there's a gully!
ref: [1787, Robert Burns, “Death and Doctor Hornbook, a True Story”, in Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect. […], 2nd edition, volume I, Edinburgh: […] T[homas] Cadell, […], and William Creech, […], published 1793, →OCLC, page 56:
text: Let us take the scathe and the scorn candidly home to us;—and try to prepare for doing better.
ref: 1864, Thomas Carlyle, “Friedrich Reduced to Straits; Cannot Maintain His Moldau Conquests against Prince Karl”, in History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great, volume IV, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, book XV, page 60:
text: Now telleth the tale concerning the sons of Gudrun, that she had arrayed their war-raiment in such wise, that no steel would bite thereon; and she bade them play not with stones or other heavy matters, for that it would be to their scathe if they did so.
ref: 1870, “The Latter End of All the Kin of the Giukings”, in Eiríkr Magnússon, William Morris, transl., Völsunga Saga. The Story of the Volsungs & Niblungs: With Certain Songs from the Elder Edda. […], London: F[rederick] S[tartridge] Ellis, […], →OCLC, page 161:
text: 'Twas bull, 'twas mitred Minotaur, / A dead disbowelled mystery; / The mummy of a buried faith / Stark from the charnel without scathe, / Its wings stood for the light to bathe,— […]
ref: 1870, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “[Poems.] The Burden of Nineveh.”, in Poems, London: F[rederick] S[tartridge] Ellis, […], →OCLC, stanza 2, pages 21–22:
glosses: Damage, harm, hurt, injury.
examples: text: The pride I trampled is now my scathe, / For it tramples me again.
ref: 1888, William Ernest Henley, “Life and Death (Echoes)”, in A Book of Verses, London: David Nutt […], →OCLC, canto XXXV, page 102:
synonyms: word: harmer
glosses: Someone who, or something which, causes harm; an injurer.
qualifier: Scots law
glosses: An injury or loss for which compensation is sought in a lawsuit; damage; also, expenses incurred by a claimant; costs.
examples: text: They deemed it little scathe indeed / That her coarse homespun ragged weed / Fell off from her round arms and lithe / Laid on the door-post, that a withe / Of willows was her only belt; / And each as he gazed at her felt / As some gift had been given him.
ref: 1870, William Morris, “December: The Fostering of Aslaug”, in The Earthly Paradise: A Poem, part IV, London: F[rederick] S[tartridge] Ellis, […], →OCLC, page 57:
glosses: Something to be mourned or regretted.
Derived terms: word: ill-scathe
word: scathefire
word: scatheful
word: scathefulness
word: scatheless
word: scathelessly
word: scathely
Related terms: word: scaddle