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Scathe vs Shy - What's the difference?

scathe | shy |

As nouns the difference between scathe and shy

is that scathe is harm; damage; injury; hurt; misfortune while shy is an act of throwing.

As verbs the difference between scathe and shy

is that scathe is (archaic) to injure while shy is to avoid due to timidness or caution.

As an adjective shy is

easily frightened; timid.

scathe

English

Alternative forms

* (l) (dialectal or obsolete) * (l), (l) (Scotland)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • Harm; damage; injury; hurt; misfortune.
    • Quotations
    * (English Citations of "scathe")

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) (m), (m), from (etyl) .

    Verb

  • (archaic) To injure.
  • * Milton
    • As when heaven's fire / Hath scathed the forest oaks or mountain pines.
  • * Washington Irving
    • Strokes of calamity that scathe and scorch the soul.

    References

    *

    Anagrams

    * (l), (l), (l), (l), (l)

    shy

    English

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Easily frightened; timid.
  • * Jonathan Swift
    • The horses of the army were no longer shy , but would come up to my very feet without starting.
  • Reserved; disinclined to familiar approach.
    • He is very shy with strangers.
  • * Arbuthnot
    • What makes you so shy , my good friend? There's nobody loves you better than I.
  • Cautious; wary; suspicious.
  • * Boyle
    • I am very shy of using corrosive liquors in the preparation of medicines.
  • * Sir H. Wotton
    • Princes are, by wisdom of state, somewhat shy of their successors.
  • Short, insufficient or less than.
    • By our count your shipment came up two shy of the bill of lading amount.
    It is just shy of a mile from here to their house.
  • Embarrassed.

    • See also

    * bashful * reserved * timid * demure * coy

    Usage notes

    * Often used in combination with a noun to produce an adjective or adjectival phrase. * Adjectives are usually applicable to animals (leash-shy'' "shy of leashes" or ''head shy "shy of contact around the head" (of horses)) or to children.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Antonyms

    * brazen * bold * audacious

    Derived terms

    (terms derived using shy as suffix) * -shy * bird-shy * boy-shy * car-shy * cat-shy * camera-shy * cover-shy * girl-shy * gun-shy * hand-shy * man-shy * mouse-shy * noise-shy * people-shy * water-shy * woman-shy * work-shy

    Verb

  • To avoid due to timidness or caution.
    • I shy away from investment opportunities I don't understand.
  • To jump back in fear.
    • The horse shied''' away from the rider, which startled him so much he '''shied away from the horse.
  • to throw sideways with a jerk; to fling
    • to shy''' a stone; to '''shy a slipper

    Noun

    (shies)
  • An act of throwing.
    • (Thackeray)
  • * Punch
    • If Lord Brougham gets a stone in his hand, he must, it seems, have a shy at somebody.
  • * 2008 , (James Kelman), Kieron Smith, Boy , Penguin 2009, p. 55:
    • The game had started. A man was chasing the ball, it went out for a shy .
  • A place for throwing.
    • coconut shy
  • A sudden start aside, as by a horse.
  • In the Eton College wall game, a point scored by lifting the ball against the wall in the calx.

    • Derived terms

    * coconut shy