scathe Meaning & Definition
What Does Scathe Mean?
Scathe is used as a noun meaning Damage, harm, hurt, injury. It is also used to mean Someone who, or something which, causes harm; an injurer. As a verb, it means To harm or injure (someone or something) physically.
Scathe in Brief
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /skeɪð/ |
| Synonyms | hurt, damage and harm |
| Plural | scathes |
| Verb forms | scathes, scathing, scathed |
Scathe Definition (Noun)
- Damage, harm, hurt, injury.
- Someone who, or something which, causes harm; an injurer.
- An injury or loss for which compensation is sought in a lawsuit; damage; also, expenses incurred by a claimant; costs.
- Something to be mourned or regretted.
Scathe as a Verb
- To harm or injure (someone or something) physically.
- To cause monetary loss to (someone).
- To harm, injure, or destroy (someone or something) by fire, lightning, or some other heat source; to blast; to scorch; to wither.
- To severely hurt (someone's feelings, soul, etc., or something intangible) through acts, words spoken, etc.
Synonyms of Scathe
Scathe synonyms and antonyms →Word Forms & Grammar
scathe (countable and uncountable, plural scathes)
scathe (third-person singular simple present scathes, present participle scathing, simple past and past participle scathed)
Words That Rhyme With Scathe
Origin of Scathe
Origin 1: From Middle English scath, scathe [and other forms],[1] 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”).[2] Cognate with Dutch schade (“damage”), German Schaden (“damage, harm”).
Origin 2: From Middle English scathen (“to harm, attack, defeat”) [and other forms],[3] from Old Norse skaða (“to damage, harm; to hurt, injure”), from Proto-Germanic *skaþōną (“to damage, harm; to injure”) (whence Old English sceaþian, scaþian (“to harm, hurt, injure, scathe”)), from *skaþô (“damage, scathe; one who causes damage, injurer”, noun); see further at etymology 1.[4]
Origin 3: Sense 2 (“to harm, injure, or destroy (someone or something) by fire, lightning, or some other heat source”) appears to derive from Paradise Lost by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674), perhaps influenced by scorch:[4] see the 1667 quotation.
Quick Answers About Scathe
Is scathe a noun or a verb?
Scathe is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is another word for scathe?
Words with a similar meaning to scathe include hurt, damage and harm. See the full list of scathe synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of scathe?
The plural of scathe is scathes.
What is the past tense of scathe?
The past tense of scathe is scathed. The present participle is scathing.