Wiktionary

smart

See also: SMART, Smart, smärt, and S.M.A.R.T.

EnglishEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English smerten, from Old English smeortan (“to smart”), from Proto-Germanic *smertaną (“to hurt, ache”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- (“to bite, sting”). Cognate with Scots smert, Dutch smarten, German schmerzen, Danish smerte, Swedish smärta.

VerbEdit

smart (third-person singular simple present smarts, present participle smarting, simple past smarted or (obsolete) smort, past participle smarted or (obsolete) smorten)

  1. (intransitive) To hurt or sting.
    After being hit with a pitch, the batter exclaimed "Ouch, my arm smarts!"
    • 1897, Bram Stoker, chapter 21, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, OCLC 688657546:
      He moved convulsively, and as he did so, said, "I'll be quiet, Doctor. Tell them to take off the strait waistcoat. I have had a terrible dream, and it has left me so weak that I cannot move. What's wrong with my face? It feels all swollen, and it smarts dreadfully."
  2. (transitive) To cause a smart or sting in.
    • a. 1652, Thomas Adams, Faith's Encouragement
      A goad that […] smarts the flesh.
  3. (intransitive) To feel a pungent pain of mind; to feel sharp pain or grief; be punished severely; to feel the sting of evil.
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From Middle English smert, smart, from Old English smeart (“smarting, smart, painful”), from Proto-Germanic *smartaz (“hurting, aching”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- (“to bite, sting”). Cognate with Scots smert (“painful, smart”), Old Frisian smert (“sharp, painful”).

AdjectiveEdit

smart (comparative smarter or more smart, superlative smartest or most smart)

  1. Exhibiting social ability or cleverness.
    Synonyms: bright, capable, sophisticated, witty
    Antonyms: backward, banal, boorish, dull, inept
  2. (informal) Exhibiting intellectual knowledge, such as that found in books.
    Synonyms: cultivated, educated, learned; see also Thesaurus:learned
    Antonyms: ignorant, uncultivated, simple
  3. (often in combination) Equipped with intelligent behaviour (digital/computer technology).
    smart car
    smartcard
    smartphone
  4. Good-looking; well dressed; fine; fashionable.
    Synonyms: attractive, chic, dapper, stylish, handsome
    Antonyms: garish, outré, tacky
    a smart outfit
    You look smart in that business suit.
  5. Cleverly shrewd and humorous in a way that may be rude and disrespectful.
    Synonym: silly
    He became tired of his daughter's sarcasm and smart remarks.
    Don't get smart with me!
  6. Sudden and intense.
    • 1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, “(please specify |book=I to XVI)”, in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the Theater, published 1707, OCLC 937919305:
      smart skirmishes, in which many fell
    • 1860 July 9, Henry David Thoreau, journal entry, from Thoreau's bird-lore, Francis H. Allen (editor), Houghton Mifflin (Boston, 1910), Thoreau on Birds: notes on New England birds from the Journals of Henry David Thoreau, Beacon Press, (Boston, 1993), page 239:
      There is a smart shower at 5 P.M., and in the midst of it a hummingbird is busy about the flowers in the garden, unmindful of it, though you would think that each big drop that struck him would be a serious accident.
  7. Causing sharp pain; stinging.
  8. Sharp; keen; poignant.
    a smart pain
  9. (Southern US, dated) Intense in feeling; painful. Used usually with the adverb intensifier right.
    He raised his voice, and it hurt her feelings right smart.
    That cast on his leg chaffs him right smart.
  10. (archaic) Efficient; vigorous; brilliant.
  11. (archaic) Pretentious; showy; spruce.
    a smart gown
  12. (archaic) Brisk; fresh.
    a smart breeze
Related termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
  • → Danish: smart
  • → German: smart
  • → Norwegian:
  • → Swedish: smart
TranslationsEdit
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Etymology 3Edit

From Middle English smerte, from smerten (“to smart”); see above. Cognate with Scots smert, Dutch smart, Low German smart, German Schmerz, Danish smerte, Swedish smärta. More above.

NounEdit

smart (plural smarts)

  1. A sharp, quick, lively pain; a sting.
    • 1567, Arthur Golding (translator), The XV Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, entytuled Metamorphosis, London: William Seres, Book , p. 51,[2]
      […] the bodie had no smart
      Of any wound: it was the minde that felt the cruell stings.
    • 1716, Alexander Pope (translator), The Iliad of Homer, London: Bernard Lintot, Volume 2, Book 5, lines 176-178, p. 25,[3]
      If chance some Shepherd with a distant Dart
      The Savage wound, he rowzes at the Smart,
      He foams, he roars […]
    • 1871, Louisa May Alcott, Little Men, Chapter 12,[4]
      Of course Tommy came to grief, tumbled upon a hornets’ nest and got stung; but being used to woe, he bore the smart manfully […]
    • 1948, Graham Greene, The Heart of the Matter, London: Heinemann, Book One, Part One, Chapter 1, section 8, p. 42,[5]
      The smart of his wounded hand woke Scobie at two in the morning.
  2. Mental pain or suffering; grief; affliction.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, London: William Ponsonbie, Book 1, Canto 7, p. 101,[6]
      Mishaps are maistred by aduice discrete,
      And counsell mitigates the greatest smart;
      Found neuer help, who neuer would his hurts impart.
    • 1673, John Milton, “Anno aetatis 17. On the Death of a fair Infant dying of a Cough” in Poems, &c. upon Several Occasions Both English and Latin, London: Thomas Dring, p. 20,[7]
      But oh why didst thou not stay here below
      To bless us with thy heav’n lov’d innocence, […]
      To stand ’twixt us and our deserved smart
      But thou canst best perform that office where thou art.
    • 1861, Charles Dickens, Great Expectations, Chapter 8,[8]
      I was so humiliated, hurt, spurned, offended, angry, sorry,—I cannot hit upon the right name for the smart—God knows what its name was,—that tears started to my eyes.
    • 2004, Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty, London: Picador, Chapter 9, p. 250,[9]
      […] Bertrand said, ‘No, you bloody idiot, do you think I drink this? I want mineral water.’ The girl recoiled for just a second at the smart of his tone […] and then apologized with steely insincerity.
  3. Smart-money.
  4. (slang, dated) A dandy; one who is smart in dress; one who is brisk, vivacious, or clever.
    • 1742, Henry Fielding, Joseph Andrews, London: A. Millar, 3rd edition, 1743, Volume 2, Book 3, Chapter 3, p. 27,[10]
      […] I resolved to quit all further Conversation with Beaus and Smarts of every kind […]
Derived termsEdit

AnagramsEdit

DanishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From English smart

AdjectiveEdit

smart (neuter smart, plural and definite singular attributive smarte, comparative smartere, superlative (predicative) smartest, superlative (attributive) smarteste)

  1. (of a solution, contraption, plan etc.) well thought-out, neat
  2. snazzy, fashionable, dapper

Derived termsEdit

DutchEdit

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle Dutch smarte, from Proto-Germanic *smertaną. Cf. German Schmerz, English smart.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

smart f (plural smarten)

  1. pain, sorrow, grief

Derived termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

GermanEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from English smart, 19th c.

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

smart (comparative smarter, superlative am smartesten)

  1. smart (exhibiting social ability or cleverness)
    Synonyms: aufgeweckt, clever, gewitzt, pfiffig
    • 1862, “Amerikanische Zwangsmaßregel”, in Die Gartenlaube‎[11], number 20, page 320:
      Während in New York und andern östlichen Städten der einfachste kürzeste Proceßgang darin besteht, ist in vielen der westlichen Staaten ein „smarter“ Miether im Stande, fast noch ein Jahr nach geschehener Aufkündigung ein Haus zu bewohnen, ohne nur einen Pfennig Miethe zu zahlen.
      (please add an English translation of this quote)
    • 1910, Walther Kabel, Der schlafende Fakir‎[12]:
      Da vertraute ich mich meinem Chef, Herrn William Hawkens, an, der ein viel zu smarter Geschäftsmann ist, als daß er nicht das nötige Verständnis für diese unter Umständen recht einträgliche Idee gehabt hätte.
      (please add an English translation of this quote)
    • 2017, Rechtsanwalt Dr. Thomas M. Grupp, Maître en droit (Aix-Marseille III), “Entwicklungen im Umfeld einer Rechts- und Gerichtsstandswahl in Zeiten von Brexit”, in Europäische Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht (EuZW)‎[13], number 24, page 977:
      Die ersichtlichen Bemühungen, einen smarteren Ausstieg aus der EU zu erreichen, decken sich mit den beiden eingangs schon erwähnten Positionspapieren, die von der britischen Regierung im August 2017 zu Themen einer grenzüberschreitenden zivilgerichtlichen Zusammenarbeit und zur Rechtsdurchsetzung und Streitlösung (Dispute Resolution) veröffentlicht worden sind.
      (please add an English translation of this quote)
  2. smart (good-looking, well-dressed)
    Synonyms: chic, elegant, fein

DeclensionEdit

Positive forms of smart
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist smart sie ist smart es ist smart sie sind smart
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative smarter smarte smartes smarte
genitive smarten smarter smarten smarter
dative smartem smarter smartem smarten
accusative smarten smarte smartes smarte
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der smarte die smarte das smarte die smarten
genitive des smarten der smarten des smarten der smarten
dative dem smarten der smarten dem smarten den smarten
accusative den smarten die smarte das smarte die smarten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein smarter eine smarte ein smartes (keine) smarten
genitive eines smarten einer smarten eines smarten (keiner) smarten
dative einem smarten einer smarten einem smarten (keinen) smarten
accusative einen smarten eine smarte ein smartes (keine) smarten
Comparative forms of smart
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist smarter sie ist smarter es ist smarter sie sind smarter
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative smarterer smartere smarteres smartere
genitive smarteren smarterer smarteren smarterer
dative smarterem smarterer smarterem smarteren
accusative smarteren smartere smarteres smartere
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der smartere die smartere das smartere die smarteren
genitive des smarteren der smarteren des smarteren der smarteren
dative dem smarteren der smarteren dem smarteren den smarteren
accusative den smarteren die smartere das smartere die smarteren
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein smarterer eine smartere ein smarteres (keine) smarteren
genitive eines smarteren einer smarteren eines smarteren (keiner) smarteren
dative einem smarteren einer smarteren einem smarteren (keinen) smarteren
accusative einen smarteren eine smartere ein smarteres (keine) smarteren
Superlative forms of smart
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist am smartesten sie ist am smartesten es ist am smartesten sie sind am smartesten
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative smartester smarteste smartestes smarteste
genitive smartesten smartester smartesten smartester
dative smartestem smartester smartestem smartesten
accusative smartesten smarteste smartestes smarteste
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der smarteste die smarteste das smarteste die smartesten
genitive des smartesten der smartesten des smartesten der smartesten
dative dem smartesten der smartesten dem smartesten den smartesten
accusative den smartesten die smarteste das smarteste die smartesten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein smartester eine smarteste ein smartestes (keine) smartesten
genitive eines smartesten einer smartesten eines smartesten (keiner) smartesten
dative einem smartesten einer smartesten einem smartesten (keinen) smartesten
accusative einen smartesten eine smarteste ein smartestes (keine) smartesten

Further readingEdit

  • “smart” in Duden online
  • “smart” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Middle EnglishEdit

AdjectiveEdit

smart

  1. Alternative form of smert

Norwegian BokmålEdit

EtymologyEdit

From English smart

AdjectiveEdit

smart (neuter singular smart, definite singular and plural smarte, comparative smartere, indefinite superlative smartest, definite superlative smarteste)

  1. clever (mentally sharp or bright)
  2. smart

Derived termsEdit

ReferencesEdit

Norwegian NynorskEdit

EtymologyEdit

From English smart

AdjectiveEdit

smart (neuter singular smart, definite singular and plural smarte, comparative smartare, indefinite superlative smartast, definite superlative smartaste)

  1. clever (mentally sharp or bright)
  2. smart

Derived termsEdit

ReferencesEdit

SpanishEdit

AdjectiveEdit

smart (invariable)

  1. smart (with smart technology)

SwedishEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from English smart.

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

smart (comparative smartare, superlative smartast)

  1. smart; clever

DeclensionEdit

Inflection of smart
Indefinite Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular smart smartare smartast
Neuter singular smart smartare smartast
Plural smarta smartare smartast
Masculine plural3 smarte smartare smartast
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 smarte smartare smartaste
All smarta smartare smartaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
3) Dated or archaic

AnagramsEdit

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