loath

== English == === Pronunciation === enPR: lōth (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ləʊθ/ (General American) IPA(key): /loʊθ/ Rhymes: -əʊθ === Etymology 1 === From Middle English lōth (“loath; averse, hateful”), from Old English lāð, lāþ (“evil; loathsome”), or Old Norse leið, leiðr (“uncomfortable; tired”) from Proto-Germanic *laiþaz (“loath; hostile; sad, sorry”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leyt- (“to do something abhorrent or hateful”). The word is cognate with Danish led (“disgusting, loathsome; nasty”), Dutch leed (“sad; (Belgium) angry”), French laid (“ugly; morally corrupt”), Catalan lleig (“ugly”), Icelandic leiður (“annoyed, vexed; sad; (archaic or poetic) annoying, wearisome”), Italian laido (“filthy, foul; obscene”), Old Frisian leed, Old High German leid (Middle High German leit, modern German leid (“uncomfortable”), Leid (“grief, sorrow, woe; affliction, suffering; harm, injury; wrong”)), Old Saxon lêð, lēth (“evil person or thing”), Swedish led (“bored; tired; (archaic) disgusting, loathsome; evil”). ==== Adjective ==== loath (comparative loather, superlative loathest) Averse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling. Always followed by a verbal phrase. (obsolete) Angry, hostile. (obsolete) Loathsome, unpleasant. ===== Usage notes ===== The spelling loath is about four times as common as loth in Britain, and about fifty times as common in the United States. The word should not be confused with the related verb loathe. ===== Alternative forms ===== (chiefly Britain) loth, (nonstandard) loathed, (nonstandard) loathe ===== Synonyms ===== (averse): averse, disinclined, reluctant, unwilling ===== Antonyms ===== (antonym(s) of “averse”): eager, fain (archaic), keen, inclined, raring ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === ==== Verb ==== loath (third-person singular simple present loaths, present participle loathing, simple past and past participle loathed) Obsolete spelling of loathe. === References === === Anagrams === Athol, altho, altho', lotah, tolah