Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To put to shame; bring reproach, disgrace, or ignominy upon; disgrace.
  • To blame; reprove; reproach; scold; revile.
  • To injure; harm; spoil; punish.
  • To ruin; destroy.
  • To defeat; outdo; surpass.
  • To forbid.
  • To defend; protect.
  • To be ruined; go to destruction.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb obsolete To injure, mar, spoil, or harm.
  • transitive verb Archaic To blame, reproach, or revile; to degrade, disgrace, or put to shame.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb obsolete to disgrace or put to shame
  • verb archaic to blame
  • verb archaic to destroy, to spoil

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English shenden, from Old English scendan ("to put to shame, blame, disgrace"), from Proto-Germanic *skandijanan (“to scold, berate”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kem- (“to cover”). Cognate with Dutch schenden ("to infringe, profane, defile"), German schänden ("defile"), Danish skænde ("defile"), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰 (skanda, "shame"). Related to Old English scand ("infamy, shame, scandal"). More at shame.

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Examples

  • Now if you shend her away yourshelf and hand her over to me, if you reshtore her at once, without any lawshuit in court, then I'll be friends with you forever.

    The Little Clay Cart Mrcchakatika Arthur William Ryder 1907

  • Sho I 'll shend him away, and then I' ll murder Vasantasenā.

    The Little Clay Cart Mrcchakatika Arthur William Ryder 1907

  • "You vill not leave here -- mein cracious, no! You vill shdop und get all die ostridge you gan, und shend dem out effery day to big oop zom shdones, und den you vill dig oop der earth vor die pirts to vind more shdones, und when dey haf shvallowed all dey gan, you und der bube here vill kill dem, und empty die gizzards into die powls of water to vash dem."

    Diamond Dyke The Lone Farm on the Veldt - Story of South African Adventure George Manville Fenn 1870

  • Their weedes bene not so nighly wore, such simplesse mought them shend:

    Shepheardes Calendar 1579

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