different between troth vs shrewd

English

Etymology

From Middle English troth, trothe, trouthe, trowthe, a variant of treuth, treuthe, treouthe (“allegiance, fidelity, faithfulness, loyalty; oath, pledge, promise; betrothal or marriage vow; betrothal; honour, integrity; holiness, righteousness; confidence, trust; creed, faith; fact, reality, truth”), from Old English tr?owþ, tr?ewþ (“truth, veracity; faith, fidelity; covenant, pledge”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiþ? (“contract; promise”), equivalent to true +? -th. See further at truth.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /t????/, /t???/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /t?o??/, /t???/

Noun

troth (countable and uncountable, plural troths)

1. (countable, archaic) An oath, pledge, or promise.
   1. (countable, archaic) A pledge or promise to marry someone.
   2. (countable, archaic) The state of being thus pledged; betrothal, engagement.
2. (countable, uncountable, archaic) Truth; something true.

Derived terms

Related terms

• truth

Translations

References

Verb

troth (third-person singular simple present troths, present participle trothing, simple past and past participle trothed)

1. (obsolete) To pledge to marry somebody.

Further reading

• troth (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• troth in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• troth in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• troth at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• thort

English

Alternative forms

• shrewde (obsolete)

Etymology

c. 1300, Middle English schrewed (“depraved; wicked”, literally “accursed”), from schrewen (“to curse; beshrew”), from schrewe, schrowe, screwe (“evil or wicked person/thing”), from Old English scr?awa (“wicked person”, literally “biter”). Equivalent to shrew +? -ed. More at shrew.

The sense of "cunning" developed in early 16^th c., gradually gaining a positive connotation by 17^th c.

Pronunciation

• enPR: shro?od, IPA^(key): /??u?d/

• Rhymes: -u?d

Adjective

shrewd (comparative shrewder, superlative shrewdest)

1. Showing clever resourcefulness in practical matters.
2. Artful, tricky or cunning.
3. (informal) Streetwise, street-smart.
4. Knowledgeable, intelligent, keen.
5. Nigh accurate.

6. Severe, intense, hard.

7. Sharp, snithy, piercing.

8. (archaic) Bad, evil, threatening.
   • 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act III Scene ii:

     Portia:

     There are some shrewd contents in yon same paper,

     That steals the colours from Bassanio's cheek:

     Some dear friend dead; else nothing in the world

     Could turn so much the constitution

     Of any constant man. What, worse and worse!— […]

9. (obsolete) Portending, boding.
10. (archaic) Noxious, scatheful, mischievous.
11. (obsolete) Abusive, shrewish.
12. (archaic) Scolding, satirical, sharp.
    • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act II Scene i:

      Leonato: By my troth, niece, thou wilt never get thee a husband, if thou be so shrewd of thy tongue.

Derived terms

• shrewdly
• shrewdness

Translations