Definitions

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

  • noun obsolete Debt; fault; guilt.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English shild, schuld, from Old English scyld ("guilt, sin, crime, offence, fault, debt, due, obligation, liability"), from Proto-Germanic *skuldiz (“guilt, obligation”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kel- (“to be guilty, be obligated, owe”). Cognate with Scots sculd ("debt"), North Frisian schild ("debt, guilt, fault"), West Frisian skuld ("debt, guilt, fault"), Dutch schuld ("debt, fault, guilt"), German Schuld ("debt, guilt, fault"), Swedish skuld ("debt, guilt, blame"), Norwegian skyld ("guilt"), Icelandic skuld ("debt"), Lithuanian kaltė ("guilt").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word shild.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.