From Middle English smiten, from Old English smītan, first meaning to smear, soil, or defile. The later English senses developed around striking, attacking, and being suddenly affected.
From Middle English smiten, from Old English smītan, first meaning to smear, soil, or defile. The later English senses developed around striking, attacking, and being suddenly affected.
What does smite mean?
Smite means to strike hard, punish severely, or affect someone suddenly and strongly.
What is the past tense of smite?
The usual past tense is smote.
What is the past participle of smite?
The usual past participle is smitten, though smote is also found in some uses.
Is smite old-fashioned?
Yes. The striking and punishing senses are mainly literary, archaic, biblical, or deliberately dramatic.
What does smitten mean?
Smitten can mean struck or afflicted, but in modern English it often means strongly attracted or delighted.
Can smite be a noun?
Yes, but the noun is rare. It means a heavy blow and appears mostly in archaic, fantasy, or game contexts.
Does smite mean divine punishment?
It often can, especially in biblical or mythic writing where a god, curse, plague, or fate brings harm.
What is a common mistake with smite?
The form smited is usually wrong where standard English expects smote or smitten.