Scathful
/ˈskæθ.fəl/noun
Causing harm, injury, or damage; hurtful.
Did you know?Scathful comes from the old Germanic root of **scathe**, the same source behind **unscathed**—so the word literally sits on the boundary between being harmed and escaping harm.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skei-
“to cut, split, or harm”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skaþō / *skaþiz
“damage, harm, injury”
Old English
OE
sceaða
“injury, damage; later also a harmful person”
Middle English
ME
scathe
“harm, damage; to injure”
Middle English
ME
scathful
“full of harm; hurtful”
Modern English
English
scathful
“causing harm or damage”