scold
UK /ˈskəʊ̯ld/ · US /ˈskoʊ̯ld/ noun, verb
Forms scolds scolding scolded scould scolde
- noun A person who habitually scolds, in particular a troublesome and angry woman.
- verb (ambitransitive) To rebuke angrily. “I advise that you refrain from using that kind of language at home, lest your mother scold you.”
- verb (ornithology) Of birds, to make harsh vocalisations in aggression.
- verb Of birds, to make vocalisations that resemble human scolding.
Synonyms
Karen social justice warrior wokescold AWFUL shrew criticize scolder nag nagger common scold call on the carpet take to task rebuke rag trounce reproof lecture reprimand jaw dress down call down chide berate bawl out remonstrate chew out chew up have words lambaste lambast
Etymology
The noun is from Middle English scold(e), skald(e), first attested in the 12th or 13th century (as scold, scolde, skolde, skald). The verb is from Middle English scolden, first attested in the late 1300s. Most dictionaries derive the verb from the noun and say the noun is probably from Old Norse skald (“poet”) (cognate with Icelandic skáld (“poet, scop”)), as skalds sometimes wrote insulting poems, though another view is that the Norse and English words are cognate to each other and to Old High German skeltan (whence Modern German schelten (“to scold, chide”)), Old Dutch skeldan (whence Modern Dutch schelden (“to scold, berate”)), all inherited from Proto-Germanic *skeldaną (“scold”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To find fault or rail with rude clamor; to brawl; to utter harsh, rude, boisterous rebuke; to chide sharply or coarsely; --often with at; as, to scold at a servant.
- verb To chide with rudeness and clamor; to rate; also, to rebuke or reprove with severity.
- noun One who scolds, or makes a practice of scolding; esp., a rude, clamorous woman; a shrew.
- noun A scolding; a brawl.
Etymology [Akin to D. schelden, G. schelten, OHG. sceltan, Dan. skielde.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “scold”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details