scandalous
Part of speech: adj
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: law
medicine
pathology
sciences
Etymology: From Late Middle English scandalouse (“disgraceful, shameful”), borrowed from Old French scandaleux (“scandalous”) (modern French scandaleux), from Medieval Latin scandalōsus, from Ecclesiastical Latin scandalum (“scandal”) + Latin -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of; prone to’ forming adjectives). Scandalum is derived from Ancient Greek σκᾰ́νδᾰλον (skắndălon, “offence, scandal; snare, trap”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Pre-Greek or Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to jump”) (referring to a device for climbing or jumping on, such as might be used by someone setting a trap). By surface analysis, scandal + -ous (suffix forming adjectives from nouns, denoting presence of a quality in any degree (typically an abundance), or a relation to the nouns).
Inflected forms:
form: more scandalous
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most scandalous
pos: adj
tags: superlative
Senses:
gloss: Of a thing: causing or having the nature of a scandal; regarded as so immoral or wrong as to be extremely disgraceful; despicable, shameful.
pos: adj
examples: [S]omthing ſauors / Of Tyrannie, and vvill ignoble make you, / Yea, ſcandalous to the VVorld.
Maſters commands come vvith a povver reſiſtleſs / To ſuch as ovve them abſolute ſubjection; / And for a life vvho vvill not change his purpoſe? / (So mutable are all the vvays of men) / Yet this be ſure, in nothing to comply / Scandalous or forbidden in our Lavv.
As the vvhole buſineſs, in vvhich the Courts uſually take an intereſt, goes on at preſent equally vvell, in vvhatever hands, vvhether high or lovv, vviſe or fooliſh, ſcandalous or reputable; there is nothing to hold it firm to any one body of men, or to any one conſiſtent scheme of politicks.
"I have heard something of such a matter," said the Glover, "and was this instant setting forth to Kinfauns, to plead my innocence of this scandalous charge, to ask your lordship's counsel, and to implore your protection."
The treasurer soon found that, in using scandalous means for the purpose of attaining a laudable end, he had committed, not only a crime, but a folly. The queen was now his enemy.
The thing made a big stir in the town, too, and a good many come out flat-footed and said it was scandalous to separate the mother and the children that way.
gloss: Of a person: delighted by scandal.
pos: adj
examples: You are the stateliest deer in all the herd— / Beyond his aim—but I am small and scandalous, / And love to hear bad tales of Philip.
gloss: Of speech or writing: defamatory, malicious.
pos: adj
examples: Theſe be the ſcandalous reportes of ſuch, / As loues not mee, and hate my Lord too much.
Shall vve thus permit / A blaſting and ſcandalous breath to fall, / On him ſo neere vs?
He has a Humour more prevailing than his Curioſity, and vvill vvillingly diſpence vvith the hearing of one ſcandalous Story, to avoid giving an occaſion to make another by being ſeen to vvalk vvith his VVife.
Nay, the moſt ſcandalous Tongues have never dared cenſure my Reputation.
[I]t is novv held that for ſcandalous vvords of the ſeveral ſpecies before-mentioned, that may endanger a man in lavv, may exclude him from ſociety, may impair his trade, or may affect a peer of the realm, a magiſtrate, or one in public truſt, an action on the caſe may be had, vvithout proving any particular damage to have happened, but merely upon the probability that it might happen.
Know you not / That, in distraining for ten thousand pounds / Upon his books and furniture at Lincoln, / Were found these scandalous and seditious letters / Sent from one Osbaldistone, who is fled?
[…] I assure you I never had any suspicions of you at all. I always disregard gossip—it is generally scandalous, and seldom true.
The closest Believe gets to scandalous is on the deluxe-edition bonus track “Maria,” a response song to the woman who accused [Justin] Bieber of fathering her child in 2011.
gloss: Exceeding reasonable limits; outrageous.
pos: adj
tags: figuratively
examples: Day after day passed away without bringing any other tidings of him than the report which shortly prevailed in Meryton of his coming no more to Netherfield the whole winter; a report which highly incensed Mrs. Bennet, and which she never failed to contradict as a most scandalous falsehood.
There was a blizzard on. The cold was something frightful. Made one quite thankful to get back to the fug, though as a rule I think the way these trains are overheated is something scandalous.
gloss: Of a person: guilty of extremely disgraceful conduct or some misconduct; infamous; also, unfit for their office or position due to misconduct, etc.
pos: adj
tags: archaic
obsolete
examples: [H]e vvas enabled [financially] to become charitable to the poor, and kind to his friends, and to make ſuch proviſion for his children, that they vvere not left ſcandalous, as relating to their or his Profeſſion and Quality.
[T]hey [Parliament] ſeemed inclinable to abate the renunciation of the Covenant, the aſſent and conſent to the diſpenſing vvith Ceremonyes, the reforming the Biſhops Courts, the taking avvay of Pluralityes, the rectifying of Excommunications, the puniſhing of ſcandalous Clergymen, and ſeverall things of this nature, […]
[T]he Houſe of Peers had aſſign'd him ſuch Council as he deſired, to aſſiſt him in matter of Lavv (vvhich never vvas, or can juſtly be denied to the moſt ſcandalous Felon, the moſt inhuman Murtherer, or the moſt infamous Traitor) […]
gloss: Of information, a statement, etc.: not pertinent to a matter; irrelevant, and bringing the court into disrepute.
pos: adj
examples: Scandal may be taken advantage of at any time, impertinence not; if reported ſcandalous, it muſt be impertinent of courſe; but it may be impertinent vvithout being ſcandalous. […] [N]othing pertinent to the cauſe can be ſaid to be ſcandalous.
A party who makes an affidavit to oppose a motion is only authorized to state the facts; and it is scandalous and impertinent to draw inferences or state arguments in the affidavit, reflecting on the character or impeaching the motives of the adverse party or his solicitor. Ibid. [Powell v. Kane, 5 Paige, 265.]
gloss: Causing offence or trouble.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
examples: [M]any Lavvs, in the change of ignorant and obſcure Ages, may be found both ſcandalous, and full of greevance to their Poſterity that made them, […]
gloss: Of a disease or symptom: putrid, rotting.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
examples: Theſe are the Ulcers vvhich render fiſtulæ ani [anal fistulas] ſcandalous. If the matter paſſeth in perineo, for the moſt part it perforates the Urethra, ſometime like a Flute, and the Urine cometh thereout, othertimes it corrupteth vvithin, and diſchargeth the putrefaction into the pelvis.
Related words: scandal
scandalise
scandalize
Derived words: nonscandalous
scandalosity
scandalously
scandalousness
unscandalous
Translations: