loath

loath
loath (adj.) O.E. lað "hated; hateful; hostile; repulsive," from P.Gmc. *laithaz (Cf. O.S., O.Fris. leth "loathsome," O.N. leiðr "hateful, hostile, loathed;" M.Du. lelijc, Du. leelijk "ugly;" O.H.G. leid "sorrowful, hateful, offensive, grievous," Ger. Leid "sorrow;" Fr. laid "ugly," from Frankish *laid), from PIE root *leit- "to detest." Weakened meaning "averse, disinclined" is attested from late 14c. Loath to depart, a line from some long-forgotten song, is recorded since 1580s as a generic term expressive of any tune played at farewells, the sailing of a ship, etc. Related: Loathness.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?
Synonyms:
, , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • loath — loath; loath·er; loath·ful; loath·ing; loath·ing·ly; loath·ness; loath·some; loath·some·ly; loath·some·ness; loath·ly; …   English syllables

  • Loath — (l[=o]th), a. [OE. looth, loth, AS. l[=a][eth] hostile, odious; akin to OS. l[=a][eth], G. leid, Icel. lei[eth]r, Sw. led, G. leiden to suffer, OHG. l[=i]dan to suffer, go, cf. AS. l[=i][eth]an to go, Goth. leipan, and E. lead to guide.] 1.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • loath — loth [ləuθ US louθ] adj [: Old English; Origin: lath] be loath to do sth formal to be unwilling to do something = ↑reluctant ▪ Sarah was loath to tell her mother what had happened …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • loath — [ louθ ] adjective FORMAL very unwilling to do something: RELUCTANT: loath to do something: Officials are loath to acknowledge the extent of their involvement …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • loath — meaning ‘averse, reluctant’, as in loath to comment, is spelt loath, not loth, and is pronounced lohth (like both). It should be distinguished from the verb loathe meaning ‘to hate’, which is pronounced lohdh. The adjective loathsome, meaning… …   Modern English usage

  • loath — [lōth, lōth] adj. [ME loth < OE lath, hostile, hateful, akin to Ger leid, sorrow (orig. adj.) < IE base * leit , to detest, abhor > Gr aleitēs, sinner] unwilling; reluctant: usually followed by an infinitive [to be loath to depart] SYN.… …   English World dictionary

  • loath — (also loth) ► ADJECTIVE ▪ reluctant; unwilling: I was loath to leave. ORIGIN Old English, «hostile» …   English terms dictionary

  • loath|ly — loath|ly1 «LOHTH lee», adjective. = loathsome. (Cf. ↑loathsome) ╂[Old English lāthlīc < lāth hostile] loath|ly2 «LOHTH lee, LOHTH », adverb. unwillingly; reluctantly. Also, lothly. ╂[Old English lāthlīce < lāth hostile] …   Useful english dictionary

  • loath — index averse, disinclined, disobedient, dissident, hesitant, renitent, restive Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton …   Law dictionary

  • loath — *disinclined, indisposed, averse, hesitant, reluctant Analogous words: *adverse, averse: *antipathetic, unsympathetic, averse Antonyms: anxious Contrasted words: *eager, keen, avid: desiring or desirous, wishing, wanting (see corresponding verbs… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”