Scold
/skoʊld/noun
To rebuke or criticize angrily and harshly.
Did you know?In Middle English, a scold was not just someone who nags; it could be a legally recognized public nuisance, especially a loud, disorderly woman punished by communal shame.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skoldōną
“to rebuke, reproach”
Old English
OE
scieldan
“to blame or accuse; to rebuke”
Middle English
ME
scolden
“to scold, chide, rebuke”
14th–15th Century
English
scold
“a person who habitually rebukes or quarrels; also a public shrew or nuisance”
Modern English
English
scold
“to reprimand angrily or harshly”