English

Alternative forms

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

Noun

scathe ‎(plural scathes)

1. Harm; damage; injury; hurt; misfortune.
   • For usage examples of this term, see Citations:scathe.

Translations

Descendants

• Scots: skaith

Etymology 2

From Middle English scathen, skathen, from Old English sceaþan, scaþan ‎(“to scathe, hurt, harm, injure”) and Old Norse skaða ‎(“to hurt”); both from Proto-Germanic *skaþōną ‎(“to injure”). Cognate with 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”), Polish skaleczyć ‎(“to hurt, scathe”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /skeɪð/
• Rhymes: -eɪð

Verb

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

1. (archaic) To injure.
   • Milton

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

   • Washington Irving

     Strokes of calamity that scathe and scorch the soul.

Translations

References

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

Anagrams

• chaste, cheats, sachet, stache, taches