loath — loath; loath·er; loath·ful; loath·ing; loath·ing·ly; loath·ness; loath·some; loath·some·ly; loath·some·ness; loath·ly; … English syllables
Loath — (l[=o]th), a. [OE. looth, loth, AS. l[=a][eth] hostile, odious; akin to OS. l[=a][eth], G. leid, Icel. lei[eth]r, Sw. led, G. leiden to suffer, OHG. l[=i]dan to suffer, go, cf. AS. l[=i][eth]an to go, Goth. leipan, and E. lead to guide.] 1.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
loath — loth [ləuθ US louθ] adj [: Old English; Origin: lath] be loath to do sth formal to be unwilling to do something = ↑reluctant ▪ Sarah was loath to tell her mother what had happened … Dictionary of contemporary English
loath — [ louθ ] adjective FORMAL very unwilling to do something: RELUCTANT: loath to do something: Officials are loath to acknowledge the extent of their involvement … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
loath — meaning ‘averse, reluctant’, as in loath to comment, is spelt loath, not loth, and is pronounced lohth (like both). It should be distinguished from the verb loathe meaning ‘to hate’, which is pronounced lohdh. The adjective loathsome, meaning… … Modern English usage
loath — [lōth, lōth] adj. [ME loth < OE lath, hostile, hateful, akin to Ger leid, sorrow (orig. adj.) < IE base * leit , to detest, abhor > Gr aleitēs, sinner] unwilling; reluctant: usually followed by an infinitive [to be loath to depart] SYN.… … English World dictionary
loath — (adj.) O.E. lað hated; hateful; hostile; repulsive, from P.Gmc. *laithaz (Cf. O.S., O.Fris. leth loathsome, O.N. leiðr hateful, hostile, loathed; M.Du. lelijc, Du. leelijk ugly; O.H.G. leid sorrowful, hateful, offensive, grievous, Ger. Leid sor … Etymology dictionary
loath — (also loth) ► ADJECTIVE ▪ reluctant; unwilling: I was loath to leave. ORIGIN Old English, «hostile» … English terms dictionary
loath|ly — loath|ly1 «LOHTH lee», adjective. = loathsome. (Cf. ↑loathsome) ╂[Old English lāthlīc < lāth hostile] loath|ly2 «LOHTH lee, LOHTH », adverb. unwillingly; reluctantly. Also, lothly. ╂[Old English lāthlīce < lāth hostile] … Useful english dictionary
loath — index averse, disinclined, disobedient, dissident, hesitant, renitent, restive Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton … Law dictionary
loath — *disinclined, indisposed, averse, hesitant, reluctant Analogous words: *adverse, averse: *antipathetic, unsympathetic, averse Antonyms: anxious Contrasted words: *eager, keen, avid: desiring or desirous, wishing, wanting (see corresponding verbs… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
