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loath - 4 dictionary results
loath
[lohth, lohth]
–adjective
| unwilling; reluctant; disinclined; averse: to be loath to admit a mistake. |
Also, loth.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME loth, lath, OE lāth hostile, hateful; c. D leed, G leid sorry, ON leithr hateful
bef. 900; ME loth, lath, OE lāth hostile, hateful; c. D leed, G leid sorry, ON leithr hateful

Related forms:
loathness, noun
Antonyms:
eager.
eager.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To loath
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Loath
Loath\ (l[=o]th), a. [OE. looth, loth, AS. l[=a]? hostile, odious; akin to OS. l[=a][eth], G. leid, Icel. lei[eth]r, Sw. led, G. leiden to suffer, OHG. l[=i]dan to suffer, go, cf. AS. l[=i][eth]an to go, Goth. leipan, and E. lead to guide.]1. Hateful; odious; disliked. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 2. Filled with disgust or aversion; averse; unwilling; reluctant; as, loath to part. Full loth were him to curse for his tithes. --Chaucer. Why, then, though loath, yet must I be content. --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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loath
O.E. lað "hostile, repulsive," from P.Gmc. *laithaz (cf. O.Fris. leed, O.N. leiðr "hateful, hostile, loathed," M.Du. lelijc, Du. leelijk "ugly," O.H.G. leid "sorrowful, hateful, offensive, grievous," Ger. Leid "sorrow," Fr. laid "ugly," from Frank. *laid). Weakened meaning "averse, disinclined" is attested from c.1374. Loath to depart, a line from some long-forgotten song, is recorded since 1584 as a generic term expressive of any tune played at farewells, the sailing of a ship, etc.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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