Scath
/skɑːθ/noun
Harm, injury, or damage, especially in the phrase “without scath.”
Did you know?Old Norse used skaði for harm or damage, while the name Skaði, a Norse goddess, may be related—but that connection remains etymologically debated.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*skaþō
“Harm, injury, or damage”
Old English
Old English
sceaðu
“Injury, harm, or damage”
Old Norse
Old Norse
skaði
“Harm, damage, or misfortune”
Middle English
Middle English
scathe
“Harm, injury, or loss”
15th–16th Century
English
scath
“Harm or damage; a variant form of scathe”
Modern English
English
scath
“Harm or injury, now chiefly archaic or dialectal”
Explore more surprising origins