scourge

scourge

English

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English scourge, from Old French escorgier (“to whip”), from Vulgar Latin *excorrigiō, from Latin ex- (“thoroughly”) + corrigia (“thong, whip”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /skɜːd͡ʒ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /skɝd͡ʒ/
  • (US, also) IPA^(key): /skɔɹd͡ʒ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)d͡ʒ

Noun

scourge (plural scourges)

1. A source of persistent trouble such as pestilence that causes pain and suffering or widespread destruction.

   Graffiti is the scourge of building owners everywhere.

   • 1818, [Mary Shelley], chapter II, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume II, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, OCLC 830979744, page 30:

     On you it rests, whether I quit for ever the neighbourhood of man, and lead a harmless life, or become the scourge of your fellow-creatures, and the author of your own speedy ruin.

2. A means to inflict such pain or destruction.
   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene iv]:

     What scourge for perjury / Can this dark monarchy afford false Clarence?

   • 2013 June 1, “Towards the end of poverty”, in The Economist‎, volume 407, number 8838, page 11:

     America’s poverty line is $63 a day for a family of four. In the richer parts of the emerging world $4 a day is the poverty barrier. But poverty’s scourge is fiercest below $1.25 ([…]): people below that level live lives that are poor, nasty, brutish and short.

   1. A whip, often of leather and often multi-tailed.

      He flogged him with a scourge.

      • 1614–1615, Homer, “(please specify the book number)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., Homer’s Odysses. […], London: […] Rich[ard] Field [and William Jaggard], for Nathaniell Butter, published 1615, OCLC 1002865976; republished in The Odysseys of Homer, […], volume (please specify the book number), London: John Russell Smith, […], 1857, OCLC 987451380:

        Up to coach then goes / The observed maid, takes both the scourge and reins.

      • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 99:

        These men lashed themselves and each other unmercifully with knotted leather scourges until the blood ran, two or three times daily.

Hyponyms

• knout
• cat
• cat o' nine tails
• cat-o'-nine-tails

Translations

persistent pest, illness, or source of trouble

Arabic: وباء‎ (ar), بَلْوَى‎ (balwā) Armenian: պատուհաս (hy) (patuhas) Bashkir: бәлә (bälä) Bulgarian: беда (bg) f (beda), бедствие (bg) n (bedstvie) Danish: svøbe c Dutch: plaag (nl), schrik (nl), gesel (nl) m Finnish: vitsaus (fi), maanvaiva, riesa (fi) French: fléau (fr) m German: Plage (de), Geißel (de), Last (de) f, Bürde (de) f, Heimsuchung (de) f, Pest (de) f Greek: μάστιγα (el) f (mástiga) Hebrew: פגע‎ (he) m (péga), מפגע‎ m (mifgá) Irish: sciúirse m Italian: piaga (it) f, flagello (it) m Latin: pestis f Norwegian: Bokmål: svøpe (no) m Polish: bicz boży m Portuguese: flagelo (pt) m, tormento (pt) m Romanian: flagel (ro) Russian: бич (ru) m (bič), бе́дствие (ru) n (bédstvije), беда́ (ru) f (bedá), ка́ра (ru) f (kára) Spanish: azote (es) m, flagelo (es) m Swedish: gissel (sv) n, plåga (sv) c

means to inflict such pain

Finnish: kirot pl

a whip often of leather

Arabic: سوط‎ Bashkir: ҡамсы (qamsı) Bulgarian: бич (bg) m (bič), камшик (bg) m (kamšik) Czech: bič (cs) m, důtky, karabáč (cs) m Danish: svøbe c Dutch: gesel (nl) Esperanto: skurĝo Finnish: piiska (fi), ruoska (fi) French: écourgée (fr) f, fouet (fr) m German: Geißel (de), Peitsche (de) f Hebrew: שוט‎ (he) m (shot), מגלב‎ (he) m (maglév) Irish: sciúirse m Latin: verber n Norwegian: Bokmål: svøpe (no) m Portuguese: flagelo (pt) m, açoite (pt) m Russian: бич (ru) m (bič), плеть (ru) f (pletʹ) Spanish: flagelo (es) m Swedish: gissel (sv) n

Verb

scourge (third-person singular simple present scourges, present participle scourging, simple past and past participle scourged)

1. To strike with a scourge; to flog.

Synonyms

• (to whip or scourge): Thesaurus:whip

Translations

to strike with a scourge

Bulgarian: бичувам (bg) (bičuvam) Danish: plage (da) Dutch: geselen (nl) Esperanto: skurĝi French: fouetter (fr) German: plagen (de), geißeln (de), heimsuchen (de), peitschen (de) Greek: Ancient Greek: μαστίζω (mastízō) Hebrew: הלקה‎ (hilká) Indonesian: mencambuki (id) Italian: flagellare (it) Portuguese: flagelar (pt) Russian: бичева́ть (ru) impf (bičevátʹ), бить пле́тью impf (bitʹ plétʹju) Spanish: azotar (es), flagelar (es)

See also

• Scourge in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
• Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “scourge”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• scrouge