Etymograph

English

shamefulness

Shamefulness comes from Middle English schamefulnesse ‘Shamefulness, disgrace’, from schameful ‘Modest, humble’, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skamō ‘shame’.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skamō‘shame’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skamu‘shame’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150sċamu‘shame, embarrassment’
  4. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150sċeomfull‘modest, chaste’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schameful‘Modest, humble’
  6. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500schamefulnesse‘Shamefulness, disgrace’
  7. Englishtodayshamefulness

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skamō‘shame’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skamu‘shame’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150sċamu‘shame, embarrassment’
  4. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150sċeomfull‘modest, chaste’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schameful‘Modest, humble’
  6. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500schamefulnesse‘Shamefulness, disgrace’
  7. Englishtodayshamefulness

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃- ‘dark(ness)’

scene, scenario, shadow, obscure, shade, squirrel, scenic, scotia, hoar, skene, 31 more

Today it means

noun The property of being shameful.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *skamō / shamefulness

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