scamian

Old English

Alternative forms

• sċamiġan

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *skamēn, from Proto-Germanic *skamāną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɑ.mi.ɑn/

Verb

sċamian

1. to be ashamed or embarrassed (+genitive of cause) (often impersonal with dative or accusative subject)
   • c. 1013, Wulfstan, Sermon of the Wolf to the English

     And þȳ is nū ġeworden wīde and sīde tō full yfelum ġewunan, þæt menn swīðor sċamaþ nū for gōddǣdum þonne for misdǣdum.

     And so a very bad habit has now spread all over the country: these days, people are more ashamed of good deeds than bad deeds.

   • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy

     Mā manna hæfþ miċelne ġielp and miċel wuldor and miċelne weorþsċipe for dysiġes folces wēnan þonne hæbbe for his ġewyrhtum. Ac sæġe mē nū hwæt unġerisenlīcre sīe þonne þæt, oþþe for hwȳ hīe ne mæġen heora mā sċamian þonne fæġnian þonne hīe ġehīeraþ þæt him man on līeġþ.

     More people have glory and honor because of stupid people's opinions than because they actually deserve it. But tell me now, what could be emptier than that? Why don't they feel more ashamed of themselves than proud when they hear the false things that people say about them?

Conjugation

Conjugation of sċamian (weak class 2)

infinitive	sċamian	sċamienne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	sċamiġe	sċamode
second person singular	sċamast	sċamodest
third person singular	sċamaþ	sċamode
plural	sċamiaþ	sċamodon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	sċamiġe	sċamode
plural	sċamiġen	sċamoden
imperative
singular	sċama
plural	sċamiaþ
participle	present	past
	sċamiende	(ġe)sċamod