upbraid

WOTD – 7 March 2007    

English

Etymology

Old English upbreiden, from upp (“up”) + bregdan (“to draw, twist, weave; the kindred”); Icelandic bregða (“to draw, brandish, braid, deviate from, change, break off, upbraid”). See up, and braid (transitive).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌʌpˈbɹeɪd/, X-SAMPA: /%Vp"breId/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪd

Noun

upbraid (uncountable)

1. (obsolete) The act of reproaching; contumely.
   • Edmund Spenser (Can we date this quote?),

     Foul upbraid.

Translations

The act of reproaching

• Polish: skarcenie n

• Russian: укоризна (ru) (ukorízna) f, укор (ru) (ukór) m

Verb

upbraid (third-person singular simple present upbraids, present participle upbraiding, simple past and past participle upbraided)

1. (transitive) To criticize severely.
2. (archaic) To charge with something wrong or disgraceful; to reproach; to cast something in the teeth of; – followed by with or for, and formerly of, before the thing imputed.
   • Mark 16:14,

     And upbraided them with their unbelief.

3. To reprove severely; to rebuke; to chide.
   • Matthew 11:20,

     Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done.

   • Sir P. Sidney (Can we date this quote?),

     How much doth thy kindness upbraid my wickedness!

4. (obsolete) To treat with contempt.
5. (obsolete) To object or urge as a matter of reproach; to cast up; – with to before the person.
6. (archaic, intransitive) To utter upbraidings.
7. (UK dialectal, Northern England) To rise on the stomach; vomit; retch.

Synonyms

• exprobrate, blame, censure, condemn, reproach

Translations

to charge with something wrong or disgraceful

• Polish: karcić / skarcić

• Portuguese: reprovar (pt)
• Russian: укорять (ru) (ukor'át') n

to reprove

• French: gronder (fr), reprendre (fr), reprocher (fr), réprimander (fr), sermonner (fr)

• Portuguese: reprovar (pt)