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Webster 1913 Edition

Shame

Shame

,
Noun.
[OE.
shame
,
schame
, AS.
scamu
,
sceamu
; akin to OS. & OHG.
scama
, G.
scham
, Icel.
skömm
,
shkamm
, Sw. & Dan.
skam
, D. & G.
schande
, Goth.
skanda
shame,
skaman sik
to be ashamed; perhaps from a root
skam
meaning to cover, and akin to the root (
kam
) of G.
hemd
shirt, E.
chemise
. Cf.
Sham
.]
1.
A painful sensation excited by a consciousness of guilt or impropriety, or of having done something which injures reputation, or of the exposure of that which nature or modesty prompts us to conceal.
HIde, for
shame
,
Romans, your grandsires’ images,
That blush at their degenerate progeny.
Dryden.
Have you no modesty, no maiden
shame
?
Shakespeare
2.
Reproach incurred or suffered; dishonor; ignominy; derision; contempt.
Ye have borne the
shame
of the heathen.
Ezek. xxxvi. 6.
Honor and
shame
from no condition rise.
Pope.
And every woe a tear can claim
Except an erring sister's
shame
.
Byron.
3.
The cause or reason of shame; that which brings reproach, and degrades a person in the estimation of others; disgrace.
O C[GREEK]sar, what a wounding
shame
is this!
Shakespeare
Guides who are the
shame
of religion.
Shakespeare
4.
The parts which modesty requires to be covered; the private parts.
Isa. xlvii. 3.
For shame!
you should be ashamed; shame on you!
–
To put to shame
,
to cause to feel shame; to humiliate; to disgrace.
“Let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.”
Ps. xl. 14.

Shame

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Shamed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Shaming
.]
1.
To make ashamed; to excite in (a person) a comsciousness of guilt or impropriety, or of conduct derogatory to reputation; to put to shame.
Were there but one righteous in the world, he would . . .
shame
the world, and not the world him.
South.
2.
To cover with reproach or ignominy; to dishonor; to disgrace.
And with foul cowardice his carcass
shame
.
Spenser.
3.
To mock at; to deride.
[Obs. or R.]
Ye have
shamed
the counsel of the poor.
Ps. xiv. 6.

Shame

,
Verb.
I.
[AS.
scamian
,
sceamian
. See
Shame
,
Noun.
]
To be ashamed; to feel shame.
[R.]
I do
shame

To think of what a noble strain you are.
Shakespeare

Webster 1828 Edition

Shame

SHAME

, n.
1. A painful sensation excited by a consciousness of guilt, or of having done something which injures reputation; or by of that which nature nature or modesty prompts us to conceal. Shame is particularly excited by the disclosure of actions which, in the view of men, are mean and degrading. Hence it it is often or always manifested by a downcast look or by blushes, called confusion of face.
Hide, for shame,
Romans, your grandsires' images,
That blush at their degenerate progeny. Dryden.

Definition 2024

shame

shame

See also: s̈ha'me

English

Noun

shame ‎(usually uncountable, plural shames)

  1. Uncomfortable or painful feeling due to recognition or consciousness of impropriety, dishonor, or other wrong in the opinion of the person experiencing the feeling. It is caused by awareness of exposure of circumstances of unworthiness or of improper or indecent conduct.
    When I realized that I had hurt my friend, I felt deep shame.‎
    The teenager couldn’t bear the shame of introducing his parents.‎
    • William Shakespeare
      Have you no modesty, no maiden shame?
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:
      When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper.
  2. Something to regret.
    It was a shame not to see the show after driving all that way.‎
    • William Shakespeare
      guides who are the shame of religion
    • Evelyn "Champagne" King, in the song Shame
      And what you do to me is a shame.
  3. Reproach incurred or suffered; dishonour; ignominy; derision.
    • Bible, Ezekiel xxxvi. 6
      Ye have borne the shame of the heathen.
    • Alexander Pope
      Honour and shame from no condition rise.
    • Lord Byron
      And every woe a tear can claim / Except an erring sister's shame.
  4. The cause or reason of shame; that which brings reproach and ignominy.
    • Shakespeare
      guides who are the shame of religion
  5. (archaic) That which is shameful and private, especially body parts.
    Cover your shame!
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Bible, Isa. xlvii. 3 to this entry?)
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • (uncomfortable or painful feeling): honor
Derived terms
Translations

Interjection

shame

  1. A cry of admonition for the subject of a speech, often used reduplicated, especially in political debates.
    • 1982, "Telecommunications Bill", Hansard
      Mr John Golding: One would not realise that it came from the same Government, because in that letter the Under-Secretary states: "The future of BT's pension scheme is a commercial matter between BT, its workforce, and the trustees of the pensions scheme, and the Government cannot give any guarantees about future pension arrangements."
      Mr. Charles R. Morris: Shame.
    • 1831, The Bristol Job Nott; or, Labouring Man's Friend
      [...] the Duke of Dorset charged in the list with "not known, but supposed forty thousand per year" (charitable supposition) had when formerly in office only about 3 or £4,000, and has not now, nor when the black list was printed, any office whatever -- (Much tumult, and cries of "shame" and "doust the liars")
  2. (South Africa) Expressing sympathy.
    Shame, you poor thing, you must be cold!
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old English scamian.

Verb

shame ‎(third-person singular simple present shames, present participle shaming, simple past and past participle shamed)

  1. (obsolete, intransitive) To feel shame, be ashamed.
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter xxij, in Le Morte Darthur, book VII:
      Broder she said I can not telle yow For it was not done by me nor by myn assente / For he is my lord and I am his / and he must be myn husband / therfore my broder I wille that ye wete I shame me not to be with hym / nor to doo hym alle the pleasyr that I can
    • William Shakespeare (c.1564–1616)
      I do shame / To think of what a noble strain you are.
  2. (transitive) To cause to feel shame.
    I was shamed by the teacher's public disapproval.
    • Robert South (1634–1716)
      Were there but one righteous in the world, he would […] shame the world, and not the world him.
  3. To cover with reproach or ignominy; to dishonor; to disgrace.
    • Edmund Spenser (c.1552–1599)
      And with foul cowardice his carcass shame.
  4. (obsolete) To mock at; to deride.
Derived terms
Synonyms
Antonyms
Translations

References

  • shame in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  1. 1 2 3 Gerhard Köbler, Altenglisches Wörterbuch, entry "scamu"

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English schame, from Old English scamu, scomu, sceamu, sceomu ‎(“shame”),[1] from Proto-Germanic *skamō,[1] and thus cognate with Old High German skama (whence German Scham), Old Dutch skama (Dutch schaamte), Old Frisian skame (West Frisian skamte), and Old Norse skǫmm (whence Icelandic skömm, Danish skam). From Proto-Indo-European *ḱem- ‎(“cover, shroud”),[1] which may also be the source of heaven; see that entry for details.

Compare also Tosk Albanian shaj ‎(“to insult, offend, slander”) / Gheg Albanian shamë ‎(“an insult, offence”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʃeɪm/
  • Rhymes: -eɪm

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