Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

sceaþa

  • noun [ masculine ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
sceaþa, an; m.
one who does harm, a criminal, wretch, miscreant, an enemy
Show examples

  • Sceaþa, deógol dǽdhata (

    Grendel

    ),
      Beo. Th. 554; B. 274.

  • Nú earttú (

    Satan

    ) earm sceaþa in fýrlocan feste gebunden,
      Cd. Th. 268, 19; Sat. 57.

  • His feónd áfyllan ðe ðone scaþan (

    the assassin Eomer

    ) sende,
      Chr. 626; Erl. 23, 34.

  • Fýnd ł sceaþan

    inimici,

      Ps. Lamb. 9, 7.

  • Gewítaþ, áwirgede woruldsorga, of mínes þegenes móde, forðam gé sind ða mǽstan sceaþan,

      Bt. 3; Fox 4, 24.

  • Scyppend sceaþan onféngon syngum hondum,

      Exon. Th. 70, 2; Cri. 1132.

  • Beraþ linde forþ in sceaþena gemong

    bear the linden shields forth into the press of the foe,

      Judth. Thw. 24, 17; Jud. 193.

  • Wælstreámas (

    the waters of the Deluge) werodum swelgaþ, sceaþum scyldfullum, Cd. Th. 78, 32; Gen. 1302. I a. a spiritual enemy, fiend, devil :-- Se sceaþa (the devil who tempted Eve ),

      38, 14; Gen. 606,
    Sceaþa, Satanes þegn, Salm. Kmbl. 234; Sal. 116.

  • Ðæt hé ús gescilde wið sceaþan wǽpnum, láþra lygesearwum,

      Exon. Th. 48, 22; Cri. 775: Andr. Kmbl. 2584; An. 1293.

  • Fǽcnum feónde hýrdes, sceþþendum sceaþan,

      Exon. Th. 85, 24; Cri.1396.

  • Helle hæftling, scyldigne sceaþan,

      Salm. Kmbl. 257; Sal. 128.

  • Sceaþan (

    the fallen angels

    ) hwearfdon earme æglécan geond ðæt atole scref,
      Cd. Th. 269, 13; Sat. 72.

  • In ðæt sceaþena scræf

    hell,

      304, 20; Sat. 633.

  • Scyldwyrcende sceaþan (

    the fallen angels

    ),
      Elen. Kmbl. 1521; El. 762.
a spoiler, robber
Show examples

  • Sceaþa

    predo,

      Wrt. Voc. ii. 88, 66.

  • Hé is þeóf and sceaþa

    ille fur est et latro,

      Jn. Skt. 10, l: Exon. Th. 54, 20; Cri. 871.

  • Se sceaþa

    the thief (on the cross), Homl. Th. ii. 78, 18. 'Hwæt eart ðú ðe ðýn ansýn ys swylce ánes sceaþan.' Hé (the penitent thief )

    hym andswarode: 'Sóð gé secgaþ ðæt ic sceaþa wæs and ealle yfelu on eorþan wyrcende,'
      Nicod. 32; Thw. 18, 19-22.

  • Hé (

    Judas

    ) wæs gítsere and se wyresta sceaþa,
      Blickl. Homl. 69, 11.

  • Swá swá tó ánum sceaþan (

    ad latronem

    ) gé férdon,
      Mk. Skt. 14, 48: Lk. Skt. 22, 52.

  • Sceaþena scip

    paro,

      Wrt. Voc. i. 56, 27.

  • Hí habbaþ démena and sceaþena dǽda,

      Blickl. Homl. 63, 9.

  • Óðer hine scyhte ðæt hé sceaþena gemót nihtes sóhte (cf. hé (

    Guthlac

    ) menigfeald wæl felde and slóh and of mannum heora ǽhta nam,
      Guthl. 2; Gdwin. 14, 5-6), Exon. Th. 109, 31; Gú. 98.

  • Gé hit dóþ sceaþum tó scrafum

    'ye have made it a den of thieves,'

      Blickl. Homl. 71, 20.

  • Hé wæs on mycelre frecednysse on wéstene betwux sceaþum,

      Homl. Th. i. 392, 7.

  • Sum man becom on ða sceaþan ða hine bereáfodon

    homo quidam incidit in latrones qui etiam despoliauerunt,

      Lk. Skt. 10, 30.
with a favourable meaning,
a warrior
Show examples

  • Scaþan onetton, wǽron æþelingas eft tó leódum fúse tó farenne,

      Beo. Th. 3610; B. 1803.

  • Scaþan scírhame tó scipe fóron,

      3794; B. 1895.
Etymology
[O. Sax. skaðo a robber, evildoer.]
Similar entries
v. átor-, dol-, fǽr-, feónd-, folc-, fyrn-, gilp-, gúþ-, hell-, helle-, hearm-, leód-, lyft-, mán-, mór-, níþ-, sǽ-, syn-, þeód-, þeóf-, úht-, wam-, wícing-sceaþa, and next word.
Linked entries
v.  sceoþa sceþþ.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “sceaþa.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/26629.

Checked: 0
Full form

Word-wheel

  • sceaþa, n.

Copyright

All the data provided here are free for any purpose. If you use the data for academic purposes, we ask that you kindly cite us as your source. In case you need a large portion of the dictionary data or you need it in a specific format, let us know through the contact form, we are happy to do custom database dumps for researchers.

How to cite

You can cite the entries of the online version of the dictionary, or you can cite the scanned pages of the original paper editions.

  • To cite the online version of the dictionary, click the icon right under the entry.
  • To cite the scanned paper version of the dictionary, click the "show/hide this scanned page" link under the entry, check the scan and use the citation information right above it.