Smite

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misterdoe
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Smite

Postby misterdoe » Wed May 13, 2009 9:55 am

One of those words that has always caught my fancy...

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Slava
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Postby Slava » Wed May 13, 2009 10:33 am

From dictionary.com:

smite /smaɪt/ verb, smote or (Obsolete) smit; smit⋅ten or smit; smit⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to strike or hit hard, with or as with the hand, a stick, or other weapon: She smote him on the back with her umbrella.
2. to deliver or deal (a blow, hit, etc.) by striking hard.
3. to strike down, injure, or slay: His sword had smitten thousands.
4. to afflict or attack with deadly or disastrous effect: smitten by polio.
5. to affect mentally or morally with a sudden pang: His conscience smote him.
6. to affect suddenly and strongly with a specified feeling: They were smitten with terror.
7. to impress favorably; charm; enamor: He was smitten by her charms.
–verb (used without object)
8. to strike; deal a blow.
—Idiom
9. smite hip and thigh.

Interestingly, none of the examples uses "smite." They're all inflected forms.
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Perry
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Postby Perry » Wed May 13, 2009 7:02 pm

smite
O.E. smitan "to hit, strike, beat" (strong verb, pt. smat, pp. smiten), from P.Gmc. *smitanan (cf. Swed. smita, Dan. smide "to smear, fling," O.Fris. smita, M.L.G., M.Du. smiten "to cast, fling," Du. smijten "to throw," O.H.G. smizan "to rub, strike," Ger. schmeißen "to cast, fling," Goth. bismeitan "to spread, smear"), perhaps from PIE base *(s)mei- "to smear, to rub," but original sense in Gmc. seems to be of throwing. Sense of "slay in combat" (c.1300) is originally Biblical, smite to death, first attested c.1200. Smitten in the sense of "inspired with love" is from 1663.
Interesting, the connection to throwing. "I was smitten for a loop"?
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