Do you know what it means to hurt? (Photo: Adobe Stock/Getty Images/ADEL AL SALMAN/AFP)
Human language is one that is always evolving. Words that may once have been at the height of popularity will go out of style, or pick up a new meaningor others that have not been used in years will suddenly reappear.
One word that makes people wonder about its definition today is smite, an Old English word.
This is what you need to know.
What does hurt mean?
The word smite is a verb, with the past tense version being smote, the past participle being smitten, and the present participle being smiting.
Merriam-Webster defines the word hurt as: “hitting with force or force, especially with the hand or with an instrument held in the hand.”
Here are some example sentences that use the word hurt and its various forms:
- The man swore to hurt his enemies.
- The family was hit by the plague.
- The villages were hit by the floods
- The blacksmith was striking the iron
The word hurt also has its own separate definition, one that is more up to date than the old one that is associated with hurt.
The alternative definition of infatuated, as defined by Merriam-Webster, means “deeply affected or struck by strong feelings or attraction, affection, or infatuation.”
Therefore, you are more likely to see smitten used in reference to someone talking about feelings, for example: the man was completely in love with his new wife.
Where are you most likely to see the word?
Hurt is a pretty old-fashioned word: you’ll most likely come across the word in its intended use in classical literature or the Bible.
According to meeting jesusthere are over 200 uses of the word hurt in the Bible.
- “And the Lord said to him, Therefore whoever kills Cain will be punished seven times. And Jehovah put a mark on Cain, so that no one who finds him would hurt him.” Genesis 4:15
- “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I am afraid of him, lest he come and strike me, and the mother with the children.” Genesis 32:11
- “And if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your borders with frogs.” Exodus 8:2
- “For now I will stretch out my hand to smite you and your people with pestilence; and you will be cut off from the earth.” Exodus 9:15
- “And if he strikes him with an iron instrument, and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer will certainly be put to death.” Numbers 35:16
In geographical terms, smite could refer to the Smite River in New Zealand or the River Smite in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, England.
Hurt is also the name of an online multiplayer game released in 2014 in which players control a god, goddess, or some other mythical figure and engage in team fights, using their skills, abilities, and tactics against other players.
Reference-www.nationalworld.com