smitten

Filed Under what's the meaning of the word | 4 Comments

I am fascinated by words. I always have been. I like to say them out loud and feel them swirl around in my mouth and dance over my tongue. (yep, a shakespeare addict tried and true)

In honor of words that I love to say (and also love the meaning of), I am starting a little series* called “what’s the meaning of the word?”

Today’s word is:

smit.ten adj.
1: (used in combination) affected by something overwhelming 2: marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness [syn: crazy, dotty, gaga, charmed by, sweet on, taken with]

Did you know that smitten comes from the verb ‘smite’? So I looked up smite, too, and found it rather interesting.

smite v.
1. a. To inflict a heavy blow on, with or as if with the hand, a tool, or a weapon. b. To drive or strike (a weapon, for example) forcefully onto or into something else.
2. To attack, damage, or destroy by or as if by blows.
3. a. To afflict: (The population was smitten by the plague.) b. To afflict retributively; chasten or chastise.
4. To affect sharply with great feeling: (He was smitten by deep remorse.)

{definition source = [URL=http://dictionary.reference.com/]dictionary.com[/url]}

Forever a word junkie!

*Hint: you might learn something about what’s a’goin’ on in my world from the words I choose


Comments

4 Comments so far

  1. Erica Bruen on August 19, 2006 9:37 am

    So, technically, you can’t currently be smitten, you must be smite. Were you smitten… or are you smite? -erica

  2. ali on August 19, 2006 1:40 pm

    Actually, no, oops. Smite is a verb, as in ‘to smite’. I could smite someone else, or I could be smitten by something or someone. I messed up, ’cause it’s an adjective. I typed this too fast. Smitten is not the past tense of smite. It comes from the word smite. I just changed this mistake in my post. Thank you, Erica…

  3. KO on August 21, 2006 5:37 am

    Very interesting… if you could now please elaborate on the synonym “gaga” and let us know how it relates to your life. Or if not “gaga,” then at least, “dotty.” I am intrigued!

  4. ali on August 21, 2006 8:09 am

    KO ~ well, I looked up “gaga”.
    gaga adj.
    1. Silly; crazy.
    2.Completely absorbed, infatuated, or excited.
    3. Senile; doddering.

    And of course, you gotta love “dotty”, too, so:
    dotty adj.
    1. a. Mentally unbalanced; crazy. b. Amusingly eccentric or unconventional. c. Ridiculous or absurd.
    2. Having a feeble or unsteady gait; shaky.
    3. Enamored.

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