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scathe

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scathe¹

  • /skeɪð/
  • /skeɪθ/

Rhymes with -eɪð, -eɪθ

Where it comes from

From Middle English scath, scathe [and other forms], 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”). Cognate with German Schaden (“damage, harm”).

cognates

* Scots skaith

* Dutch schade

* German schaden

* Norwegian skade

* Swedish skada

* Icelandic skaði

* Polish szkoda

* Russian шко́да (škóda)

* Belarusian шко́дa (škóda)

* Ukrainian шко́да (škóda)

noun scathes · scath · skaith · scaith

  1. UK, archaic, countable, dialectal, uncountable Damage, harm, hurt, injury. Therefore great Lords bee as your titles vvitnes, Imperious, and impatient of your vvrongs, And vvherein Rome hath done you any ſkath, Let him make treable ſatisfaction.
  2. UK, archaic, countable, dialectal Someone who, or something which, causes harm; an injurer. The pride I trampled is now my scathe, For it tramples me again.

    Similar: harmer

  3. UK, archaic, countable, dialectal, obsolete An injury or loss for which compensation is sought in a lawsuit; damage; also, expenses incurred by a claimant; costs.
  4. UK, archaic, dialectal, uncountable Something to be mourned or regretted. They deemed it little scathe indeed That her coarse homespun ragged weed Fell off from her round arms and lithe Laid on the door-post, that a withe Of willows was her only belt; And each as he gazed at her felt As some gift had been given him.

scathe²

  • /skeɪð/ US, UK

Rhymes with -eɪð

Where it comes from

From Middle English scathen (“to harm, attack, defeat”) [and other forms], 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.

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: see the 1667 quotation.

Cognates

* Albanian shkathët (“adept, clever, skilful”)

* Danish skade (“to hurt, injure”)

* Dutch schaden (“to injure”)

* Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽 (skaþjan, “to harm, injure; to do wrong”)

* Ancient Greek ἀσκηθής (askēthḗs, “unhurt”)

* Old Frisian skathia (“to injure”)

* Old High German skadôn (Middle High German schaden, German schaden (“to damage, harm, hurt; to be harmful”))

* Old Norse skeðja (“to hurt”)

* Old Saxon scaðon (“to slander”)

* Swedish skada (“to hurt, injure”)

verb scathes · scathing · scathed · scathe

  1. Scotland, UK, archaic, dialectal, transitive To harm or injure (someone or something) physically. This trick may chance to ſcath you I knovv vvhat, You muſt contrarie me, […]

    Similar: damage, wound, abuse, annoy, bewound, damnify, dere, do damage to, do for, do ill, do violence to, forwork

  2. Scotland, UK, archaic, dialectal, obsolete, specifically To cause monetary loss to (someone). VVell goe too vvild oates, ſpend thrift, prodigall, Ile croſſe thy name quite from my reckoning booke: For theſe accounts, faith it ſhall skathe thee ſomevvhat, I vvill not ſay vvhat ſomevvhat it ſhall be.

    Similar: damage, wound, abuse, annoy, bewound, damnify, dere, do damage to, do for, do ill, do violence to, forwork

  3. UK, archaic, broadly, dialectal, literary, poetic To harm, injure, or destroy (someone or something) by fire, lightning, or some other heat source; to blast; to scorch; to wither. The shout was hushed on lake and fell, The Monk resumed his muttered spell. Dismal and low its accents came, The while he scathed the Cross with flame; […]

    Similar: burn, forsweal, incinerate, singe, torch, burn away, burn down, burn up, burn to a crisp, char up, cinder, combure

  4. UK, archaic, dialectal, figuratively, transitive To severely hurt (someone's feelings, soul, etc., or something intangible) through acts, words spoken, etc. There are some strokes of calamity that scathe and scorch the soul—that penetrate to the vital seat of happiness—and blast it, never again to put forth bud or blossom.

    Similar: affront, wound, abuse, burn, carry, cut down, disrespect, dis, diss, give stick, heckle, hurt someone's feelings

Translations

Every language

noun damage; harm; hurt; injury

Españoldaño, herida, infortunio
DeutschSchaden
Русскийвред vred, уще́рб uščérb

verb to harm or injure (someone or something) physically

Españolherir
Portuguêsferir
Italianoferire
Русскийпричиня́ть вред pričinjátʹ vred

verb to severely hurt (someone’s feelings, soul, etc., or something intangible) through acts, words spoken, etc.

Españolzaherir
Deutschverletzen

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Cite this
MLA

"scathe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/scathe. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

scathe. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/scathe

Chicago

"scathe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/scathe.

BibTeX
@misc{scathe_2026,
  title = {scathe},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/scathe},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}