scold
pronunciation
How to pronounce scold in British English:
UK [skəʊld]
How to pronounce scold in American English:
US [skoʊld]
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- Noun:
- someone (especially a woman) who annoys people by constantly finding fault
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- Verb:
- censure severely or angrily
- show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
Word Origin
- scold
- scold: [13] Scold was originally a noun, denoting an argumentative or nagging woman – the sort who had a ‘scold’s bridle’ fitted to keep her tongue quiet. It appears to have been borrowed from Old Norse skáld ‘poet’, the semantic link perhaps being the poet’s role of satirizing or poking fun at people (in Icelandic law in former times the term skáldskapr, literally ‘poetry’, denoted ‘libel in verse’). The origins of skáld itself are not known. Scold began to be used as a verb in the 14th century, at first in the sense ‘argue, nag’. The modern transitive use ‘reprove’ is not recorded until the early 18th century.
- scold (n.)
- mid-12c., "person of ribald speech," later "person fond of abusive language" (c. 1300), especially a shrewish woman [Johnson defines it as "A clamourous, rude, mean, low, foul-mouthed woman"], from Old Norse skald "poet" (see skald). The sense evolution might reflect the fact that Germanic poets (like their Celtic counterparts) were famously feared for their ability to lampoon and mock (as in skaldskapr "poetry," also, in Icelandic law books, "libel in verse").
- scold (v.)
- late 14c., "be abusive or quarrelsome," from scold (n.). Related: Scolded; scolding.
Example
- 1. Besides , the people in cars scold you .
- 2. In effect , jesus is saying , " I didn 't come to scold you , I came to save you . "
- 3. The injunction to be consistent is used to scold but not to help us live .
- 4. Eg. take it easy on alex and don 't scold him too much .
- 5. Thousands gather daily to sing patriotic songs and scold the rural-based red shirts as foolish farmers .