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smite - 6 dictionary results

smite

  [smahyt] verb, smote or (Obsolete) smit; smit⋅ten or smit; smit⋅ing.
Use smite in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to strike or hit hard, with or as with the hand, a stick, or other weapon: She smote him on the back with her umbrella.
2. to deliver or deal (a blow, hit, etc.) by striking hard.
3. to strike down, injure, or slay: His sword had smitten thousands.
4. to afflict or attack with deadly or disastrous effect: smitten by polio.
5. to affect mentally or morally with a sudden pang: His conscience smote him.
6. to affect suddenly and strongly with a specified feeling: They were smitten with terror.
7. to impress favorably; charm; enamor: He was smitten by her charms.
–verb (used without object)
8. to strike; deal a blow.
—Idiom
9. smite hip and thigh. hip 1 (def. 9).
Origin:
bef. 900; ME smiten, OE smītan; c. G schmeissen to throw, D smijten

Related forms:
smiter, noun

Synonyms:
1. knock, cuff, buffet, slap.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To smite
smite   (smīt)   
v.   smote (smōt), smit·ten (smĭt'n) or smote, smit·ing, smites

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

[Middle English smiten, from Old English smītan, to smear.]
smit'er n.
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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Smite

Smite\ (sm[imac]t), v. t. [imp. Smote (sm[=o]t), rarely Smit (sm[i^]t); p. p. Smitten (sm[i^]t"t'n), rarely Smit, or Smote; p. pr. & vb. n. Smiting (sm[imac]t"[i^]ng).] [AS. sm[=i]tan to smite, to soil, pollute; akin to OFries. sm[=i]ta to smite, LG. smiten, D. smijten, G. schmeissen, OHG. sm[=i]zan to smear, stroke, OSw. & dial. Sw. smita to smite, Dan. smide to throw, Goth. bismeitan, to anoint, besmear; cf. Skr. m[=e]d to be fat. The original sense seems to have been, to daub on, to smear. Cf. Smut.]

1. To strike; to inflict a blow upon with the hand, or with any instrument held in the hand, or with a missile thrown by the hand; as, to smite with the fist, with a rod, sword, spear, or stone.

Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. --Matt. v. 39.

And David . . . took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead. --1 Sam. xvii. 49.

2. To cause to strike; to use as an instrument in striking or hurling.

Prophesy, and smite thine hands together. --Ezek. xxi. 14.

Saul . . . smote the javelin into the wall. --1 Sam. xix. 10.

3. To destroy the life of by beating, or by weapons of any kind; to slay by a blow; to kill; as, to smite one with the sword, or with an arrow or other instrument.

4. To put to rout in battle; to overthrow by war.

5. To blast; to destroy the life or vigor of, as by a stroke or by some visitation.

The flax and the barly was smitten. --Ex. ix. 31.

6. To afflict; to chasten; to punish.

Let us not mistake God's goodness, nor imagine, because he smites us, that we are forsaken by him. --Wake.

7. To strike or affect with passion, as love or fear.

The charms that smite the simple heart. --Pope.

Smit with the love of sister arts we came. --Pope.

To smite off, to cut off.

To smite out, to knock out, as a tooth. --Exod. xxi. 27.

To smite with the tongue, to reproach or upbraid; to revile. [Obs.] --Jer. xviii. 18.

Smite

Smite\, v. i. To strike; to collide; to beat. [Archaic]

The heart melteth, and the knees smite together. --Nah. ii. 10.

Smite

Smite\, n. The act of smiting; a blow.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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smite 
O.E. smitan "to hit, strike, beat" (strong verb, pt. smat, pp. smiten), from P.Gmc. *smitanan (cf. Swed. smita, Dan. smide "to smear, fling," O.Fris. smita, M.L.G., M.Du. smiten "to cast, fling," Du. smijten "to throw," O.H.G. smizan "to rub, strike," Ger. schmeißen "to cast, fling," Goth. bismeitan "to spread, smear"), perhaps from PIE base *(s)mei- "to smear, to rub," but original sense in Gmc. seems to be of throwing. Sense of "slay in combat" (c.1300) is originally Biblical, smite to death, first attested c.1200. Smitten in the sense of "inspired with love" is from 1663.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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