▪ I. shame, n.
(ʃeɪm)
Forms: α. 1 scamu, sceamu, 1–4 scame, 2–3 same, 3 seame, 3–4 scam, ssame, 3–5, 6 Sc. scham, 3–5, 6–7 Sc. schame, (4 chame), Sc. schaym(e, 4, 6 sham, 6 Sc. schamme, scheyme, (schaheme), 3– shame. β. 1 scomu, scomo, sceomu, 2–3 scome, 3 sceome, some, 3–4 scheome, schom, 3–5 schome, shome.
[Com. Teut.: OE. sc(e)amu, sc(e)ǫmu, corresponds to OFris. scome, OS. skama, MDu. schame (mod.Du. schaam- in compounds), OHG. scama (MHG., mod.G. scham), ON. skǫmm with unexplained gemination (Sw., Da. skam), Goth. *skama (inferred from the derivative skaman refl. to be ashamed):—OTeut. *skamō.
From the Teut. root *skam- are also OHG. scant ashamed (:—*skamdo-), Goth. skanda, OHG. scanda (G. schande) fem., disgrace, OE. scand masc., infamous man, scand fem., infamous woman, disgrace, scęndan (:—*skamdjan) shend v.
Outside Teut. no root of corresponding form and sense has been found, but many scholars assume a pre-Teut. *skem-, variant of *kem- to cover (Teut. *hem-: ham- as in hame1), ‘covering oneself’ being the natural expression of shame.]
I. 1. a. The painful emotion arising from the consciousness of something dishonouring, ridiculous, or indecorous in one's own conduct or circumstances (or in those of others whose honour or disgrace one regards as one's own), or of being in a situation which offends one's sense of modesty or decency.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) P. 844 Pudor, scomo. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke xiv. 9 Ðu inginnas mið sceoma [cum rubore] þæt hlætmesto stoue ᵹehalda. a 1225 St. Marher. 7 Ah þe schulde scheomien..ȝef þu scheome cuðest þat þulli mot haldest wið a ȝung meiden. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 349 Flesses fremeðe and safte same boðen he felten on here lichame. 1471 Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) I. 240 Alle shame and vergoyne redowblith in me. 1595 Shakes. John iv. i. 114 You will but make it blush, And glow with shame of your proceedings, Hubert. 1623 Fletcher & Rowley Maid in Mill i. iii, But for my part (in all humility And with no little shame) I ask your pardons. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 114 ¶4 Shame of Poverty makes Laertes lanch into unnecessary Equipage. 1842 Tennyson Ld. of Burleigh 63 As it were with shame she blushes. 1860 Pusey Min. Proph. 240 Shame at the evil which sin is, works repentance. |
| Personified. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. vii. 22 Lamenting Sorrow did in darknesse lye, And Shame his vgly face did hide from liuing eye. 1742 Gray Eton 64 Pallid Fear, And Shame, that sculks behind. |
b. pl.| 1851 Helps Comp. Solit. viii. 152 Being free from many of the usual small shames, petty ends, trivial vanities. |
c. sense of shame: the consciousness of this emotion, guilty feeling; also, the right perception of what is improper or disgraceful (
cf. 2).
| 1647 C. Harvey Schola Cordis xv. 29 Untill the sense of shame Makes me contemne my self-dishonour'd name. 1700 Dryden Cinyras & Myrrha 307 Another, and another Night she came; For frequent Sin had left no Sense of Shame. 1766 Fordyce Serm. Yng. Women (1767) I. i. 11 All but those who..have..lost their sense of shame. 1847 Tennyson Princess iv. 330 And full of cowardice and guilty shame, I grant in her some sense of shame, she flies. 1872 Darwin Emotions xiii. 321 Under a keen sense of shame, there is a strong desire for concealment. |
d. past shame,
dead to shame, no longer capable of feeling shame, grown callous to shame.
| 1509 [see past prep. 3]. 1647 Hexham i. s.v., He is past shame. 1780 Warner in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1844) IV. 325 His wife and her sister are not great enough or little enough to be dead to shame. |
2. Fear of offence against propriety or decency, operating as a restraint on behaviour; modesty, shamefastness.
without shame, shameless(ly.
| c 1386 Chaucer Wife's Prol. 342 In habit maad with chastitee and shame Ye wommen shul apparaille yow. 1576 Gascoigne Grief of Joye iv. xxxv. Wks. 1910 II. 555 The dark⁓some nyght, sharpe enemye to shame, By candles light, betrayethe many a dame. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iii. ii. 285 Haue you no modesty, no maiden shame, No touch of bashfulnesse? 1622 Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. ii. 131 Discouering those parts which shame bids vs hide. 1692 R. L'Estrange Josephus, Antiq. iv. viii. (1733) 97 A Debtor that hath neither the Shame nor the Conscience to restore what he borrowed. 1780 Bentham Princ. Legisl. xii. §10 Where robberies are frequent and unpunished robberies are committed without shame. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) V. 45 To infuse into them that divine fear, which we call shame. Mod. I am not surprised at his request; he is quite without shame. |
| Personified. c 1400 Rom. Rose 3058 And grauntid hir..That Shame, bicause she is honest, Shal keper of the roser be. 1754 Gray Poesy 64 Her track, where'er the Goddess roves, Glory pursue, and generous Shame. |
3. a. Disgrace, ignominy, loss of esteem or reputation.
| a 990 Cynewulf Crist 1274 Hi þær scoma mæste dreoᵹað. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 59 To..kepen us from hearm and scome. a 1300 K. Horn 327 Schame mote þu fonge & on hiȝe rode anhonge. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iv. 28 For to sauen hem⁓self from schome and from harme. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1028 Thour out the worl oure shame is kid so wyde. 1535 Coverdale Ezek. xvi. 52 Therfore beare thine owne shame. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. iv. iv. 70 Free from these slanders, and this open shame. 1729 Butler Serm. Wks. 1874 II. 14 Men, to avoid the shame of one villainy, are sometimes guilty of a greater. 1764 Burn Poor Laws 199 By once inflicting shame on a criminal, we for ever remove that fear of it, which is one very strong preservative against doing evil. 1845 S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Ref. I. 194 After such high-raised expectations, the result was shame and ignominy. 1859 Tennyson Enid 101 Far better were I laid in the dark earth..Than that my lord thro' me should suffer shame. |
b. An instance or piece of disgrace.
| c 1230 Hali Meid. 8 (Bodley MS.) Teonen þolien, & gromen & scheomen. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 589 So fil it as fortune hym aughte a schame. a 1470 Hardyng Chron. cxiv. xviii, Thus synnes olde make shames come full newe. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. (Sommer) 99 Though..euery death were followed with a thousand shames. 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. i. iv. 72 Let his shames quickely Driue him to Rome. 1633 F. Greville Poems, Treat. Warres vii. 71 So be the Shames of Peace, the Pride of Warre. 1880 M{supc}Carthy Own Times IV. 32 The calamities and shames of 1865 might have been avoided. 1891 Farrar Darkn. & Dawn i, The name of her sister Drusilla had been already stained with a thousand shames. |
c. spec. Violation of a woman's honour, loss of chastity.
† to do (a) shame, to offer violence (to).
child, son of shame, a child born out of wedlock.
| c 1205 Lay. 12101 Melga nom Oriene..& scome hire bihedde & ladde heo to his bedde. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 488 That al here lyf ne don nat but asayen How manye wemen they may don a schame. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. v. 13 After that foster fowle he fiercely rid, To bene auenged of the shame, he did To that faire Damzell. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. iii. i. 140 Is't not a kind of Incest, to take life From thine owne sisters shame? 1722 De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 2 My nurse..bred me up very carefully with her own son, and with another son of shame like me. 1813 Byron Giaour 421 And every woe a tear can claim, Except an erring sister's shame. 1827 Scott Surg. Dau. ii, A child of shame, deserted by its father and mother. 1833 Tennyson Sisters 8 She mix'd her ancient blood with shame. 1864 ― Aylmer's F. 687 The poor child of shame. |
† d. shames death (
shames deid,
shames dede, etc.), a shameful death.
Obs.| a 1300 Cursor M. 1619 He suar his ath Þat þai suld all thole schammes deid. c 1386 Chaucer Merch. T. 1133 God yeve yow bothe on shames deeth to dyen! c 1440 Bone Flor. 1823 God gyf the schames dedd. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 7829 Þai had aftir an yuel spede, Shames deed or outelawde. 16.. Sir John Butler iv. in Child Ballads III. 330/1 A shames death may hee dye! |
† e. Infliction of disgrace, injurious language or conduct. (
Cf. the phrases in 11.)
Obs.| c 975 Rushw. Gosp. Mark xii. 4 Mið scomum miclum toᵹiworhtun [contumeliis affecerunt]. a 1225 Ancr. R. 108 In his earen he hefde,..al þe schorn, & alle þe scheomen þet earen muhte iheren. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 300 b, Than began all the multytude with moost shame and abhomynacyon..to spyt in thy blessed face. |
† 4. What is morally disgraceful or dishonourable; baseness in conduct or behaviour.
to do shame, to do something disgraceful or wicked.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 25497 Ken us lauerd, for þi nam, Forsak bat sin and scam. c 1386 Chaucer Wife's T. 295 Men may wel often fynde A lordes sone do shame and vileynye. c 1400 Destr. Troy 13704 He cast hym by course..To venge of his vilany & his vile schame. a 1520 Dunbar ‘Be ȝe ane luvar’ 6 Be layth alway to do amiss or schame. 1682 Sir T. Browne Chr. Mor. iii. §17 If that degenerous vice possess thee, hide thyself in the shadow of thy shame, and pollute not noble society. |
5. a. Used predicatively (without article) for: A fact or circumstance which brings disgrace or discredit (
to a person, etc.); matter for severe reproach or reprobation. Now
poet.| a 1000 Colloq. ælfric in Wr.-Wülcker 100 Micel hynd and sceamu [uerecundia] hyt is menn nelle wesan þæt þæt he ys. c 1200 Ormin 11956 Forr þatt wass, alls he wisste itt wel, Hiss aȝhenn shame & shande. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 72 It is schame to written it but more to done it in dede. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 505 And shame it is, if a preest take keep, A shiten shepherde and a clene sheep. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 87 For first to lofe and syne to lak, Peter! it is schame. 1538 Starkey England i. iv. 125 Thys ys not only grete hurte to the commyn wele, but also grete schame and dyshonowre to our cuntrey. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, ii. i. 238 Now afore heauen, 'tis shame such wrongs are borne In him a royall Prince. 1784 Cowper Tiroc. 78 Truths..That 'tis our shame and mis'ry not to learn. 1819 Scott Ivanhoe xl, It were shame to our profession were we to suffer it. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. xlviii. 11 She..holds it sin and shame to draw The deepest measure from the chords. 1896 A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad v, Some lads there are, 'tis shame to say, That only court to thieve. |
b. Similarly
a shame,
a great shame. Now common in
colloq. use.
| 1390 Gower Conf. II. 28 Which were a schame unto his trowthe. c 1450 Mirk's Festial 27 Hit was a gret schame to all hom þat werne gret clerkes. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 16 b, If it be a shame for..a pleadar of causes to be ignorant of the lawe wherein he dealeth, a greater shame is it for a professor of husbandry, to be vnskilful in the ground whereon his whole trade lyeth. 1648 Hunting of Fox 36 'Tis a foul shame that you should be last in returning to a sence of your duty. 1662–3 Pepys Diary 19 Jan., They..pay fifteen or twenty sometimes per cent. for their money which is a most horrid shame. 1799 Ht. Lee Canterb. T., Frenchman's T. (ed. 2) I. 199 What a shame yon pretty cot should be suffered to go to ruin! 1809 Malkin Gil Blas vii. v, It was a burning shame to see such a waste of provisions. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxxix, I envy you the concatenation, Colonel—it is a shame to me not to have drawn the same conclusion. 1858 S. Brooks Gord. Knot xvi. 119 ‘It's a ― shame’, jerked out Mr. Spenser. 1866 Geo. Eliot F. Holt xxii, It's a sin and a shame. 1889 J. K. Jerome Three Men in Boat 166 George said it was a wicked shame of Mrs. G. |
c. Occas. in non-predicative use: A disgraceful thing, something to be ashamed of.
poet.| c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. lxi. 7 Into my deeds to prye, To find out shames and idle houres in me. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. li. 7 Shall he for whose applause I strove..See with clear eye some hidden shame And I be lessen'd in his love? 1855 ― Maud iii. iv, A peace that was full of wrongs and shames. |
6. a. A person or thing that is a cause or source of disgrace. Const.
to, of, † on.
| a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. (Sommer) 99 That only I..should become a plague to my selfe and a shame to womankind. 1607 Shakes. Cor. i. iv. 31 You Shames of Rome. 1675 J. Owen Indwelling Sin xiii. (1732) 165 It may be this Day you had been a Terror to your selves, a Shame to your Relations. 1681 Cotton Wond. Peak 76 Environ'd round with Natures shames and Ills, Black Heaths, wild Rocks, bleak Craggs, and naked Hills. 1709–11 Pope Ess. Crit. 694 Erasmus, that great injur'd name, (The glory of the Priesthood, and the shame!). 1757 Gray Bard 87 Ye towers of Julius, London's lasting shame. 1778 [W. H. Marshall] Minutes Agric., Digest 113 Colleges of Agriculture, reared in those Wastes which are now a shame on their Country. 1819 Shelley Cenci iii. i. 287 Nature casts him off, who is her shame. |
b. colloq. A thing which is shockingly ugly or indecent, or of disgracefully bad quality.
| 1764 Gray Jemmy Twitcher 8 His nose is a shame,—and his eyes are so lewd! 1815 Scott Guy M. v, Luckie Finniston sent up three [hens] that were a shame to be seen. 1880 Tennyson Village Wife vii, An' 'e bowt little statutes all-naäkt an' which was a shaame to be seen. |
7. concr. The privy members or ‘parts of shame’. Now
rare or
Obs.| a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 942 (Gr.), Het heora sceome þeccan frea frumhræᵹle. c 1050 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 470/23 Preputia, scama, þa wæpenlican limo. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 351 Ðo gunen he same sriden, And limes in leues hiden. a 1300 Cursor M. 2026 His midelst þat hight cam, Bihild, and sagh his fader schame. 1584 B. R. tr. Herodotus ii. 86 Other [women] cast vp their clothes, & openly discouer and bewray their shame. 1599 T. M[oufet] Silkwormes 3 Then fig-tree fannes uppon their shame they wore. 1611 Bible Rev. xvi. 15 Least hee walke naked, and they see his shame. [1795 tr. Thunberg's Trav. (ed. 2) II. 78 The Hottentots universally wore a bag just before the parts of shame.] 1922 Joyce Ulysses 533 And with loving pencil you shaded my eyes, my bosom and my shame. |
II. Phrases.
8. to have shame: to be ashamed, feel ashamed. Const.
of, inf.,
that. Now
poet.| c 888 ælfred Boeth. xi. §1 Hi habbað sceame þæs welan ᵹif hi ne beoð swa æþele on ᵹebyrdum swa hi woldon. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 137 And þere mide hine aleseð of scome þe he habben sculde ȝif he heo ne ȝef. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints i. (Petrus) 535 Sic schent and schame at hart had he. Ibid. xxvii. (Machor) 1014 Alswa had he schame to tell quhy [etc.]. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xii. 133 Sche had gret schame, that sche hadde a Child. c 1400 Rule St. Benet (Prose) 30 Þat tay haue shame of þair faute. 1842 Tennyson Vision of Sin iv. vi, Sit thee down, and have no shame, Cheek by jowl, and knee by knee. |
9. to think shame, to be ashamed. (
Occas. to think it shame.) Const.
of,
for, inf., or
that...
† a. The early examples belong to the impersonal
think v.,
const. dat. (
him etc.
thinketh shame).
Obs. b. In the 15th c. this construction gave place to that in which the verb is the personal
think v.
2 Now somewhat
arch.| a. c 1205 Lay. 28850 For mucchel scome heom þuhte þat wepmen heom ne rohte. a 1300 [see think v.1 B. 2 a]. a 1400 St. Alexius 5 (Vernon MS.), To seruen god þhuȝte him no schome. |
| b. c 1470 Henry Wallace x. 517 And for hys wrang reyff othir he sall think schame Or de tharfor. 1648 J. Beaumont Psyche i. cxi, And then eleven great Stars thought it no shame To couch before me who admired them. 1724–7 Ramsay Wyfe of Auchtermuchty xv, I trow the man thocht mekle schame. 1791 [see think v.2 B. 1 c]. 1816 Scott Bl. Dwarf ix, Thinkna ye shame o' yoursells, to come here..to frighten a lone widow woman? 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xviii. 187 Men thought it shame to dwell at such a time under the shadow of a house. |
10. to take shame.
† a. To be disgraced, incur disgrace (
obs.).
b. To conceive shame, feel ashamed; to accept blame or disgrace as merited; to acknowledge that one is in fault. More fully
to take shame to (unto, upon) oneself.
| 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 323 Grete pite it was, þat þe hede of Cristendam Suld for any trespas take so foule a scham. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxii. (Percy Soc.) 156, I was not proude, I toke of him no shame. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. ii. iii. 36, I doe repent me, as it is an euill, And take the shame with ioy. 1607 B. Barnes Divils Charter i. iii. B 2, Take to thee Gismond both the skorne and shame. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 448 ¶3, I take shame upon myself for this Crime. 1727 Boyer Dict. Royal II. s.v., I take shame to my self, that, J'avouë à ma honte, que. 1821 Scott Kenilw. xv, I take shame to say, that [etc.]. 1869 Goulburn Purs. Holiness x. 91 So long as they take shame to themselves for the evil which is in them. |
† 11. to do (a person) shame: to inflict injury or dishonour, offer reproach or obloquy (see also 3 c). Also
to say or speak (one) shame;
to say or speak shame of, on, by. Also with
a and
pl. Obs.| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke xi. 45 Nobis contumeliam facis us sceoma ðu does. a 1200 Vices & Virtues 51 Alle ðe scames and ðe bismeres ðe hie arrer him hadde idon. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 349 Ah gað ȝet & seggeð scheome bi ure undeadliche godes. a 1250 Owl & Night. 363 Yet þu me seyst an oþer schome Þat ich an on Myn eye lome. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 3239 Hii þoȝte to do þis lond ssame. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 467 Ne a trewe louere may me nat blame Thaw that I speke a fals louere sum schame. 1470–85 Malory Arthur x. xxvii. 457 The letter spak shame by her and by sir launcelot. 1535 Coverdale Dan. xi. 18 A prynce shal stoppe him, to do him a shame. 1595 Shakes. John iv. iii. 97 If thou..teach thy hastie spleene to do me shame. 1603 ― Meas. for M. iii. i. 81 Why giue you me this shame? 1611 Bible 1 Sam. xx. 34 Hee was grieued for Dauid, because his father had done him shame. |
12. to put to shame: to bring into disgrace, bring disgrace upon; also
fig. to outshine, eclipse. Similarly,
to bring,
† shape,
† turn to shame. Also
† to go to shame, to be ruined or spoilt.
| a 1250 Owl & Night. 522 Hwenne þu hauest ido þi gome Þi stefne goþ anon to schome [Cotton MS. shome]. c 1290 Sancta Crux 398 in S. Eng. Leg. 12 Cristine men þat he miȝte i-finde Alle he brouȝte to schame. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints ii. (Paulus) 521 He schupe þam all to schame, Þat euir trowit in cristis name. a 1440 Sir Degrev. 127 He sey, ‘Alle ȝoode to schome!’ And went one hys wey. 1445 tr. Claudian in Anglia XXVIII. 269 With her also thou puttist to shame her loothsom norice ambicion. c 1470 Henry Wallace x. 1004 The Roman [buikis] at than was in Scotland, He gart be brocht to scham, quhar thai thaim fand. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iv. iv. 67 A Slaue, that still an end turnes me to shame. 1611 Bible Heb. vi. 6 They crucifie to themselues the Sonne of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 1752 ‘Sir H. Beaumont’ tr. Attiret's Acc. Emp. China's Gard. 29 If any one of them is caught in the Fact [i.e. Thieving] he is brought to Shame. 1780 Cowper Progr. Error 245 Has time worn out, or fashion put to shame, Good sense, good health, good conscience, and good fame? 1855 Thackeray Newcomes xli, No young woman of this year has come near her: those of the past seasons she has distanced, and utterly put to shame. 1865 F. Parkman Huguenots i. (1875) 5 Every ship from the New World came freighted with marvels which put the fictions of chivalry to shame. |
13. a. for shame: from a sense of shame, because one feels shame; also, for fear of shame, in order to avoid shame; so
† for shame of, in order not to bring shame upon. Also
for shame's sake.
| c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. iv. xxiv. (1899) 482 Þonne aras he for scome from þæm symble. c 1200 Ormin 16971 Forrþi þatt he ne mihhte nohht O daȝȝ forr shame lernenn. c 1386 Chaucer Frankl. T. 24 Save that the name of soveraynetee, That wolde he have for shame of his degree. 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 36 He red for shame, but frosty in desire. 1592 Moryson Let. 21 Oct. in Itin. (1617) i. 38 When I looked my face in a glasse, I could not for shame take this course. 1823 Scott Quentin D. xxxiii, I will grant you as fair terms as for very shame's sake you ought to ask in my present condition. 1859 Tennyson Vivien 548 The shame that cannot be explain'd for shame. |
b. esp. in adjuration or remonstrance. Hence often as an
int. = ‘shame on you!’ ‘you should be ashamed’; also
fie for shame! (see
fie int. 1).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 2794 For scam ne dos þam na males. c 1374 Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 272 Mi swete fo, whi do ye so, for shame. c 1412 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 1057 Ffor shame! why makest þou al this wo? 1575 Gammer Gurton's Needle iv. ii. 42 Canst thou for shame deny it? 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 379 ‘For shame’, he cries, ‘let go, and let me go’. a 1642 Suckling Fragm. Aurea, ‘Why so pale and wan’, Quit, quit for shame. 1775 Sheridan Rivals ii. ii, Lucy. For shame now! here is some one coming. 1840 Thackeray Shabby-genteel Story v, At which remark..Miss Caroline very properly said ‘For shame, Becky!’ 1850 Miss Warner Wide World xxx, ‘Oh, William!—William!—for shame! for shame!’ said Ellen again. |
† 14. in shame of: in order to put to shame.
Obs.| 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 101 To put a gluue vpon the poynte of ane speir in exprobratione and schame of him quha crakit his creddence. 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. ii. ii. 41 The Gods do this in shame of Cowardice. |
15. to one's shame, so as to cause one shame, in a way that brings one discredit. Also parenthetically, with ellipsis of ‘be it spoken’. In early use also
† to or † for (one) to shame.
| c 1205 Lay. 21008 Heore ȝelp & heore gome ilomp heom seoluen to scame. 1382 Wyclif 1 Cor. vi. 5, I seie to ȝoure schame. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 30 And yit for Demephon to schame Into this dai it berth the name. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 42 His credytours claymeth dette of hym to his payne & great shame. 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, v. i. 93 For my part, I may speake it to my shame, I haue a Truant beene to Chiualry. 1815 Scott Guy M. xlvii, It is greatly to the shame of our young lover's apprehension, that [etc.]. 1835 Macaulay in Trevelyan Life (1876) I. 444, I read some of his Dialogues of the Dead when I was thirteen; and to my shame, I never..read a line of him since. |
16. a. In ejaculatory formulae of imprecation or indignant disapproval, as (
a)
shame (or † a shame) betide (take, etc.)..!; (
b)
shame to or
shame on..!; (
c)
(the) more shame for..; (
d)
shame! simply. Also
for shame! (see 13 b); (
e) used simply in S.
Afr., as an expression of sympathy or pleasure.
| (a) a 1352 Minot Poems (ed. Hall) ii. 12 Schame bityde þe Skottes for þai er full of gile. c 1400 Rom. Rose 4267 God yeve him shame! 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 968 Shame come to him that is the cause thereof. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iii. i. 307 Nay, then a shame take all. |
| (b) 1595 Shakes. John ii. i. 167 Now shame vpon you where she does or no. 1728 Pope Dunciad i. 113 Now (shame to Fortune!) an ill Run at Play Blank'd his bold visage. 1819 Shelley Cenci v. ii. 60 Shame on these tears! 1855 Kingsley Westw. Ho! xv, It can't be expected, and no shame to them! |
| (c) 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iv. iv. 138 The more shame for him, that he sends it me. 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ ii. vi. §16 Did they not? the more shame for them: and if they did, the more shame for this great Rabbi thus to belie them. 1848 Dickens Dombey vi, ‘Ah! true! more shame for him,’ thought Walter. |
| (d) 1605 Shakes. Macb. iii. iv. 66 Shame it selfe, Why do you make such faces? 1709 Steele Tatler No. 21 ¶13 The whole Town cries out, Shame! That one of his Coat should be such an Atheist? 1834–51 M. Howitt Sk. Nat. Hist., Wolf ii. 82 Oh, shame, that ever it hath been said, That bloody war is a glorious trade! 1848 Times 14 Nov. 5/2 A great many voices cried out ‘Shame! shame!’ 1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 29 Jan. 5/1 Sir Michael Hicks-Beach's proposal..elicited cries of ‘Shame!’ from the Irish benches. |
| (e) 1932 Grocott's Mail (Grahamstown, S. Afr.) 9 Jan. 3 During the address of our local dairy representatives..I heard several murmurs of Oh! and Shame! and grant the statements were given in a manner that commanded much sympathy. 1952 N. Gordimer Soft Voice of Serpent (1953) i. 6 ‘Shame, isn't he a funny old man,’ she said. 1976 Sunday Times (Johannesburg) 14 Nov., Oh, look, look!..those foals. Oh, shame, aren't they sweet. |
b. to cry shame on,
upon,
† of: to express vigorous reprobation of.
| 1599 Shakes. Much Ado iv. i. 123 Why doth not euery earthly thing Cry shame vpon her? 1617 Moryson Itin. ii. 155 Don Jean..commended highly the valour of our men, and cried shame upon the cowardise of his owne. 1721 De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 255 The people cried shame of them. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 360 The pavement was detestable: all foreigners cried shame upon it. |
III. 17. Comb., as (sense 7)
shame-cloth,
shame-rag;
shame-burnt,
shame-closing,
shame-eaten,
shame-making,
shame-proof,
shame-shrunk,
shame-sick,
shame-stricken,
shame-swollen,
shame-wounded adjs.;
shame culture, a culture in which conformity of behaviour is maintained through the individual's fear of being shamed;
† shamefish = pintle fish (see
pintle 3);
shameworthy a., of which one ought to be ashamed.
| 1849 Helps Friends in C. ii. ii. (1854) 287 The shrinking, downcast, *shame-burnt woman. |
| 1922 Joyce Ulysses 55 She blinked up out of her avid *shameclosing eyes. |
| 1963 M. Laurence Tomorrow-Tamer 226 Not yet five years old, she wore only a *shamecloth, a mere flutter of red and beaded rag around her middle and between her legs. |
| 1947 R. Benedict Chrysanthemum & Sword x. 223 True *shame cultures rely on external sanctions for good behaviour. 1953 M. B. Singer in Piers & Singer Shame & Guilt ii. iii. 56, I shall consider whether the test data support the conclusion that American Indian cultures are predominantly shame cultures. 1977 A. Giddens Stud. in Social & Polit. Theory 393 Some anthropologists have sought to contrast the ‘guilt cultures’ of Western Europe with ‘shame cultures’. |
| 1859 Meredith R. Feverel viii, His diversion only irritated and confused our *shame-eaten youth. |
| 1655 Moufet & Bennet Health's Improv. xviii. 174 Yards or *shamefishes (Colybdænæ). 1672 J. Josselyn New-Eng. Rarities 32 Yardfish, Asses Prick or Shame⁓fish. |
| 1934 R. Macaulay Going Abroad xxxv. 297 He adoring some one else, that was *shame-making and humbling too. 1977 D. Ramsay You can't call it Murder i. 26 Nothing to do with her, thank God. Offering such thanks was shame-making. |
| 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 513 We are *shame-proofe my Lord. |
| 1938 R. Graves Coll. Poems 166 Those froward hermits..Wore but a *shame-rag, dusk or dawn, And rolled in thorny places. |
| 1631 Quarles Samson Med. xvi. 97 Wee can trample Vpon our *shame shrunke cloakes, by your example. |
| 15.. G. Ellis Lament. Lost Sheepe in Farr S. P. Eliz. (1845) 410 With *shame-sick Adam haue I hid my head. |
| 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xxix, Heart-stained, and *shame-stricken, he stood at the bed's foot. |
| 1592 Nashe P. Penilesse Wks. 1904 I. 197 Would you..gesse it were possible for any *shame-swolne toad to haue the spet-proofe face to out liue this disgrace? |
| 1382 Wyclif Lev. xvi. 4 And with lynnen breches he shal hile the *shame worthi [1388 schamefast] membres. 1600 Holland Livy xxxiv. 855 If they begin once to shame at that which is not shame⁓worthy. 1802 Lamb Let. to Manning 24 Sept., If I should have formed a diabolical resolution..of not admitting any spirituous liquors into my house, will you be my guest on such shameworthy terms? |
| 1922 Joyce Ulysses 49 Our souls, *shamewounded by our sins, cling to us yet more. |
▪ II. shame, v. (
ʃeɪm)
Pa. tense and
pple. shamed (
ʃeɪmd). Forms: α. 1–2
sceamian,
scami(ᵹ)an, 2–3
scamien, 3
shamien,
samie,
schamie,
ssame,
scam, 3–6
schame, 4
ssamie,
scham, 5
schamyn, 6
Sc. schaam,
scheyme, 8
dial. sheame,
sham, 3–
shame; β. 1
scomian,
sceomian, 3
scomien,
sceomien,
scheomen,
schomye,
scomye,
scumi, 3–4
schome.
[OE. sc(e)amian, sc(e)ǫmian, f. sc(e)amu, sc(e)ǫmu shame n. The verb corresponds formally to
OS. skamon,
OHG. scamôn (
MHG. schamen),
mod.NFris.
skaame,
skômi; an older
Teut. formation is represented by
Goth. skaman,
OHG. scamên; and a third type by
MHG. schemen (
mod.G.
schämen),
ON. skemma (
Sw. skemma,
Da. skjæmme to disgrace, injure);
ON. had also
skamma (
Da. skamme refl. to be ashamed).]
1. intr. To feel or conceive shame; to become or be ashamed. Const.
of,
at,
with,
for.
Obs. exc. dial. (see
Eng. Dial. Dict.).
(In
OE. with genit. of cause, also of
refl. pron. = to be ashamed of oneself.)
| Beowulf 1026 (Gr.) No he þære feohᵹyfte for sceotendum scamiᵹan ðorfte. c 897 ælfred Gregory's Past. C. lii. 409 Ðios sæ cwið ðæt ðu ðin scamiᵹe, Sidon. a 1225 Ancr. R. 312 Nolde þe kniht beon sori & scheomen ful sore? a 1240 Ureisun in O.E. Hom. I. 185 Þe sunne..leoseþ here liht and scomeþ aȝein þi brihte leor of hir þesturnesse. a 1300 Cursor M. 17429 Wit þis word scomed þan þe Iuus. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 7159 Þai salle swa schame ay of þair syn. c 1440 Alphabet of Tales 120 Som þat shamyd with þer syn, went & shrafe þaim clene þerof. 1534 in Lett. Suppress. Monasteries (Camden) 49 He hath a brasyn forehed, which shameth at nothing. ? a 1586 Montgomerie Misc. Poems xxxii. (1887) 50, I thank my God I shame not of my shap. 1588 Greene Pandosto (1607) E 3, And yet Dorastus, shame not at thy shepheards weede. 1606 W. Crashaw Rom. Forgeries 52 The brazen face of the whore of Babylon, who shames with no sinne. 1651 Jane Image Unbr. 95 They..shame not at such assertions of falshood as common States blush to be detected of. |
b. With clause expressing the reason.
arch.| c 897 ælfred Gregory's Past. C. x. 62 Ᵹif we ðonne scomiað þæt we to uncuðum monnum swelc sprecen. c 1470 Henry Wallace x. 491 Schamys thow nocht, that thow neuir ȝeit did gud? 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 1143 Thou sing'st not in the day, As shaming any eye should thee behold. 1847 Mrs. Norton Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap-bk. 28, I shame that a creature so light, should bid me thus quiver and bleed. |
c. Const.
to (or
† for to) and inf. Now
rare.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce vii. 436 Ȝhe aucht to shame..For to schut at me on fer! c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xx. 89 Men and wymmen..schamez noȝt for to schew þam as Godd made þam. a 1513 Fabyan Chron. vii. (1811) 328 Elyzabeth..shamyd not, for Crystis sake, to wesshe y⊇ sorys & bylis of lazars. a 1541 Wyatt Compl. upon Love in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 48 Now shames he not on me for to complain. 1598 B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. ii. v. (1616) 28 Art thou a man? and sham'st thou not to beg? 1659 Milton Hirelings Pref., Clergie who shame not..to maintain..their Popish and oft refuted positions. 1840 Lady C. Bury Hist. of Flirt xv, A folly I shamed to confess. 1862 Miss Mulock Dom. Stories 210, I shame to say that [etc.]. |
2. trans. impers., as in
(it) shames me = I am ashamed. Const.
to (or
for to) and inf., a clause, or
for; in
OE. also genit. of cause. In later use only with
it. Now
rare.
| c 897 ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xxi. 164 Oððe hwa bið ᵹescended, ðæt me forðæm ne scamiᵹe? c 1000 ælfric Gen. ii. 25 Hi wæron þa butu nacode..and him þæs ne sceamode. c 1205 Lay. 4851 Him swiðe scomede þat he swa i-scend wes. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 22 Delve may Y not, and me shameþ for to begge. c 1386 Chaucer Man of Law's Prol. 3 To asken help thee shameth in thyn herte. 1470–85 Malory Arthur viii. xxxix. 332 Me shamed att that tyme to haue more a doo with you. |
| 1577 St. Augustine's Man. 17 It shameth and irketh me to abide such thyngs as this world doth. 1652 Needham tr. Selden's Mare Cl. 77 It shamed that noble Nation to pay Tribute, who were wont to command it. 1847 Lytton Word to Public 10 Omitting it from the list of those [writings] it does not shame me to acknowledge. |
3. trans. To feel shame in regard to (a person or thing); to hold in awe or reverence; to dread or shun through shame.
Obs. or
arch.| 1382 Wyclif Mark xii. 6 For by hap thei schulen schame my sone [gloss or drede with reuerence, Vulg. reverebuntur]. ― Heb. xi. 27 Not schamynge [gloss or dredynge, Vulg. non veritus], the hardnesse of the kyng. a 1592 Greene Jas. IV, v. vi, My maister sad—(for why he shames the Court) Is fled away. 1885–94 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche May xxviii, And when at night her love flew to his place More than afore she shamed his fond embrace. |
4. To make ashamed, fill with shame, cause to feel shame.
| 1530 Palsgr. 701/1 I shame one,..I make one chaunge coloures. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, i. iv. 120 To tell thee whence thou cam'st, of whom deriu'd, Were shame enough to shame thee, Wert thou not shamelesse. 1639 Mayne City Match iv. v. 43 Then, Sir, she is so modest... The least Obscene word shames her. 1735 Pope Prol. Sat. i. 89 Who shames a Scribbler? break one cobweb thro', He spins the slight, self-pleasing thread anew. 1847 Tennyson Princess Prol. 132, I wish I were Some mighty poetess, I would shame you then, That love to keep us children! 1859 ― Elaine 207 Nay, father,..shame me not Before this noble knight. 1889 Barrie Window in Thrums xviii. 166 The love Leeby bore for Jamie was such that in their younger days it shamed him. |
† b. refl. To be ashamed. Const.
of,
for, or inf.
| a 1250 Owl & Night. 161 (Jesus MS.) Schomye [Cott. Schamie] þe vor þine vnrede. c 1375 Cato 573 in Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. 603 Þat þou ne const, schome þe not Of oþere to ben I-tauht. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 64 And so he shameth hymselfe. 1825 Scott Betrothed xxxi, ‘Rise, rise, De Lacy; and shame thee of thy petition,’ said the King. |
c. pass. To be ashamed. Const.
of,
at,
for,
with,
† upon, inf., or
subord. clause. Now
poet.| 13.. Cursor M. 636 (Gött.) Naked war þai bath tway, Þai were noght schamed par ma fay. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 1727 For sory of his frendes sorwe he is, And shamed, for his nece hath doon a-mis. c 1400 Destr. Troy 8250 Than shamet was the shalke for the shene ladies. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 469 So was scho schamed of þe schont þat hire þe shalk made. 1613–16 W. Browne Brit. Past. i. ii. 31 The flowers pull'd in their heads as being sham'd Their beauties by the others were defam'd. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxvi, He's sair shamed o' himsell. 1847 Tennyson Princess iii. 35 Pardon, I am shamed That I must needs repeat for my excuse What looks so little graceful. 1877 Browning Agamemnon 119 The opposite to say I shall not shamed be. |
d. to tell (say, speak) the truth and shame the devil: to tell the truth boldly in defiance of temptation to the contrary.
| 1552 Latimer Serm. Lincolnsh. iii. (1562) 85 b, There is a common saying amongst vs, Say the truthe and shame the diuel. 1562 T. Wilson Rhet. 76 b, Saie on beast, and shame the deuil. 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iii. i. 58–9. 1598 ― Merry W. iv. ii. 124 Now shall the diuel be sham'd. 1658 Bramhall Consecr. Bps. i. 7 Compell him..to shame the divell, and eate his owne words. 1731–8 Swift Pol. Conversat. 93 Come, tell Truth, and shame the Devil. 1893 G. Allen Scallywag I. 151 ‘Because he's so much richer’, Paul answered, boldly shaming the devil. |
5. To inflict or bring disgrace upon; to disgrace, dishonour; to be a cause of disgrace to.
| c 1200 Ormin 18284 Hefiȝlike he shameþþ þe & shendeþþ & unnwurrþeþþ. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 15209 Þey wyþ tailles þe godeman schamed. c 1386 Chaucer Frankl. T. 837 Heer may I nat dwelle, And shamen al my kinrede in this place. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xv. xii. (1495) 492 Yf it happe that thou be ouercome thenne arte thou shamyd for euermore. 1530 Palsgr. 701/1, I was of good name and fame afore he shamed me by this yvell reporte. 1556 Olde Antichrist 64 b, This John..shamed the Churche of Rome wonderfully w{supt} his lyuing. 1644 Nye Gunnery (1670) 28 When Gunpowder is moist..it shameth the Gunner which useth it. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 461 Where he fell flat, and sham'd his Worshipers. 1784 Cowper Task ii. 807 Rusting there..What wonder if, discharg'd into the world, They shame their shooters with a random flight. 1820 Byron Mar. Fal. iv. ii, Doge... Let us go worthy of our sires and selves. Ber. F. I shall not shame you, uncle. 1900 Daily Tel. 18 Oct. 11/1 We tortured no prisoners,..we shamed no women. |
b. with a thing as object.
| a 1340 Hampole Ps. xiii. 10 Þe counsaile of þe helples ȝe shamed. 1581 Marbeck Bk. of Notes 1124 S. Paule saith, y{supt} euery man which prayeth or precheth w{supt} couered head, shameth his head. 1784 Cowper Task ii. 427 He..prostitutes and shames His noble office. 1812 Byron Ch. Har. ii. viii, If..there be A land of souls beyond that sable shore, To shame the doctrine of the Sadducee. 1842 Tennyson Lady Clare 66 O Lady Clare, you shame your worth! 1865 Bushnell Vicar. Sacr. i. v. (1866) 71 The losses..that shame His saving work. |
6. To confound or put to shame by superior excellence; to outrival.
| c 1400 Rule of St. Benet (prose) 47 Bot we..þat er..of febil lif, þis gude lif schamis vs, and confundis. 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 732 Wherein she framed thee in high heaven's despite, To shame the sun by day and her by night. 1611 Second Maiden's Trag. 1741 (Malone Soc.) How pittie strikes een throughe inscensible thinges and makes them shame our dullnes. 1741 Shenstone Judgm. Hercules 82 Her blushing cheeks, that sham'd the purple morn. 1841–44 Emerson Ess., Nature Wks. (Bohn) I. 224 Here [in the forest] is sanctity which shames our religions. 1848 Dickens Dombey lviii, She'll shame 'em with her good looks, yet. |
7. With complementary
adv. or
advb. phr.: To drive
away (etc.) through shame.
| 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iii. i. 61 And Ile be sworne, I haue power to shame him hence. c 1644 Cleveland Rebel Scot Poems (1659) 53 Hyperbolus by suffering did traduce The Ostracism, and sham'd it out of use. 1682 D'Urfey Butler's Ghost 36 My Head's not such a thing of no worth, 'Tis to be sham'd away, and so forth. 1790 Burke Fr. Rev. 53 You would have shamed despotism from the earth. 1859 Habits of Gd. Society 52 The turbulent state of the country..leaving, when bloodshed was shamed back, the same deadly hatred. |
b. To drive (one)
out of,
into (a state, course of action, etc.) through shame or fear of shame.
| 1679 J. Goodman Penitent Pardoned iii. iv. (1713) 330 Railery may go about to shame him out of his course. c 1680 Beveridge Serm. (1729) II. 545 When the practice of others..shames you into a compliance with them. 1775 Sheridan Rivals Epil., Shamed into sense,..Our beaux from gallantry would soon be wise. 1839 Thirlwall Greece xlvi. VI. 81 Philip..shamed his son out of his suspicions by an indignant expostulation. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 284 The considerable armament, which the news of Hannibal's triumphant progress through Italy had at last shamed the Carthaginians into raising for him. |
Hence
shamed ppl. a.| 1508 Kennedie Flying w. Dunbar 549 Defamyt, blamyt, schamyt, Primas Paganorum. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia iii. (Sommer) 319 No, shamed Musidorus, worthie for nothing, but to keepe sheepe. 1874 A. O'Shaughnessy Music & Moonlight 125 In the shamed and the ruined love's stead. 1880 Meredith Tragic Com. (1881) 275 With..secret aim, which he nursed like a shamed mother of an infant. |
▪ III. shame obs. form of
shawm.