scathe

English

Alternative forms

• scath (dialectal or obsolete)
• skaith, scaith (Scotland)

Etymology 1

From Middle English scathe, from Old English sceaþa (also sceaþu (“scathe, harm, injury”), from Proto-West Germanic *skaþō, from Proto-Germanic *skaþô (“damage, scathe”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keh₁t- (“damage, harm”). Cognate with Scots skaith.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /skeɪð/, /skeɪθ/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪð, -eɪθ

Noun

scathe (countable and uncountable, plural scathes)

1. (archaic or dialect) Harm, damage, injury, hurt, misfortune, or waste.
   • 1870, William Morris and Eirikr Magnusson (translators), “XLIII”, in The Story of the Volsungs:

     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.

Derived terms

• scatheful
• scatheless
• scathely

For quotations using this term, see Citations:scathe.

Translations

harm; damage; injury; hurt; misfortune

• Danish: skade (da)
• Dutch: schade (nl) m
• German: Schaden (de) m
• Latin: damnum n

• Malayalam: ക്ഷതം (ml) (kṣataṃ)
• Polish: szkoda (pl) f, uszczerbek (pl) m
• Russian: вред (ru) m (vred), уще́рб (ru) m (uščérb)
• Spanish: daño (es) m, herida (es) f, infortunio (es) m

Etymology 2

From Middle English scathen, skathen, from Old English sceaþian, scaþan (“to scathe, hurt, harm, injure”) and Old Norse skaða (“to hurt”), both from Proto-Germanic *skaþōną (“to injure”). Cognate with Scots skaith, Danish skade, Dutch schaden, German schaden, Swedish skada; compare Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽 (skaþjan), Old Norse skeðja (“to hurt”). Compare Ancient Greek ἀσκηθής (askēthḗs, “unhurt”), Albanian shkathët (“skillful, adept, clever”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /skeɪð/
• Rhymes: -eɪð

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Verb

scathe (third-person singular simple present scathes, present participle scathing, simple past and past participle scathed)

1. To injure or harm.
2. To blast; scorch; wither.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:

     As when heaven's fire / Hath scathed the forest oaks or mountain pines.

   • 1819, Washington Irving, The Broken Heart:

     Strokes of calamity that scathe and scorch the soul.

Derived terms

• scathel
• scathing
• unscathed

Translations

injure

• Danish: skade (da)
• Dutch: schaden (nl)
• Finnish: vahingoittaa (fi)
• Italian: ferire (it)

• Malayalam: ക്ഷതപ്പെടുത്തുക (kṣatappeṭuttuka)
• Persian: شخودن‎ (fa) (šexudan)
• Russian: причиня́ть вред (pričinjátʹ vred)
• Spanish: herir (es)

References

• “scath” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• 'stache, 'taches, Scheat, achest, chaste, chates, cheats, he-cats, sachet, she-cat, stache, taches, thecas

---

Middle English

Adjective

scathe

1. Unfortunate, a pity, a shame.
   • 14th c. Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales. General Prologue: 445-6.

     A good wif was ther of biside Bathe, / But she was somdel deef, and that was scathe.

     There was a good woman from near Bath, / but she was somewhat deaf, and that was a pity.