Forms: α. 1 láð, (laad, laath, láth), 2–3 lath, (3 læð). β. Sc. and north. 4–6 lath(e, 4–8 laithe, layth(e, 6–9 leath, 4–9 laith. γ. 3–5 leith, 5–6 leyth. δ. 2–4 loþ, (2 lod), (3 leoð, lodt, lothȝ), 4–6 lothe, (4 lot), 4–5 looth(e, (7 loathe, lought), 4– loth, 6– loath. [Com. Teut.: OE. láð = OFris. leed (for *lêth), OS. lêð (Du. leed), OHG. leid (MHG. leit, leid-; mod.G, as sb., leid sorrow, pain; cf. leider unfortunately, which is properly the comparative of the adj.), ON. leið-r (Sw., Da. led):—OTeut. *laiþo-, adopted in Rom. as F. laid, It. laido ugly.
The ulterior etymology is obscure. Apparently cognate are OHG. lêwes alas, and possibly OE. lá LO.]
† 1. Hostile, angry, spiteful. rare in ME. Obs.
Beowulf (Z.), 1506. Þæt heo þone fyrd-hom ðurh-fon ne mihte … laþan fingrum.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 3811. He lengit not long in his lothe hate.
† 2. Repulsive, unpleasant, hateful, loathsome.
Beowulf (Z.), 134. Wæs þæt ʓe-win to strang lað ond longsum.
a. 700. Epinal Gloss., 514. Ingratus, lath.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 71. And kep us from his waning þat laþe gast þet laðe þing.
a. 1200. Moral Ode, 283. Þer is þe loþe sathanas.
c. 1220. Bestiary, 458. Seftes sop ure seppande … leiðe and lodlike.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 369. And niðful neddre, loð an liðer, sal gliden on hise brest neðer.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 7829. To dreri ded þat he be don, Laþer ded þan [printed þat] ani in lijf.
c. 1300. Harrow. Hell, 154. Bring ous of this lothe hous.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter, xv. 6. Þof þai seme laith & outkastynge.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, ii. (Paulus), 771. A fowle padow … þat wes laythe to se.
1426. Audelay, Poems, 31. Thenk on the leyth lazar was borne into Abragus barme.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., x. 63. He was foule and layth to syght.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, II. ii. 128. But mair abaid, As was devisit, the laith worde furth braid.
1583. Babington, Commandm., viii. (1590), 381. Wee should not take any sure comfort til we haue … altered quite so loath a life.
1592. Wyrley, Armorie, 155. Relaxment from loth prison strong.
† b. Const. dat. or to, esp. in him (etc.) loath is, were, etc., to (do so and so); also with clause as subject. Obs.
c. 893. K. Ælfred, Oros., IV. x. § 7. Swa lað wæs Pena folc Scipian … ðæt [etc.].
11[?]. O. E. Chron., an. 1048 (Laud MS.). Him wæs lað to amyrrene his aʓenne folʓað.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 31. He his uniseli ȝif him is lað to donne þis.
c. 1205. Lay., 4000. Þe quike hire wes swa swiðe leoð þat [etc.]. Ibid., 7321. Þes tiðende him wes læð.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 200. Þisse unðeauwe … is þauh of alle on loðest [printed onloðest] God.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 1216. Hir was ysmaeles anger loð.
c. 1290. S. Eng. Leg., I. 119/454. Lothȝ vs were any-þing to don.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 1102. To blam þe broiþer was þam laith.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 1255. Him loþ þouȝt no lenger to striue.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Manciple’s T., 41. For hym were looth byiaped for to be.
c. 1420. Anturs of Arth., 432. To losse swylke a lordschipe me thynke it fulle laythe.
c. 1430. Syr Gener. (Roxb.), 1484. Here seruice to him was nat lothe.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, I. xxii. That is me loth said the knyght, but sythen I muste nedes I wille dresse me therto.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. Prol. 489. Bot laith me war, but other offence or cryme, Ane bruitell body suld intertrike my ryme.
† 3. Ugly; esp. in phrase for fairer, for loather, in the marriage service. Obs.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xvii. 77. Þe wymmen er riȝt layth and ill araid.
1403. York Manual (Surtees), p. xvi. I take the, N., to my wedded wyfe … to bold and to haue … for fayrer, for layther.
1484. in Ripon Ch. Acts, 162, note. For farer for lather.
Proverb. 1546. J. Heywood, Prov. (1867), 49. The lothe stake standeth longe.
4. Averse, disinclined, reluctant, unwilling. Const. († for) to with inf., also for (a person) to (do something), also with sentence as object; occas. with of, to, unto, followed by a sb.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., II. pr. iv. 27 (Camb. MS.). She lyueth loþ of this lyf.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., I. (1495), 3. Loathe to offende I purpose [etc.].
a. 1400. Cursor M., 27788 (Cott. Galba). Slewth … it makes a man lath for to lere.
1413. Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton, 1483), IV. xxiv. 70. She fond the so dulle and soo lothe to hir wordes.
c. 1440. Bone Flor., 1126. The pope was not lothe To assoyle hym of hys othe.
c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 702. He was … laith for to stynt.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., i. cxciii. 229. The whiche the erle of saynt Powle was lothe vnto.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., I. 575. Full laith he wes … To put his honour in dame Fortonis handis.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. VI., 93. The duke of Gloucester … beganne to waxe lothe of his supposed wife.
1598. Deloney, Jacke Newb., vii. 86. The lother to speake, for that hee could speake but bad English.
1599. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 600. The residue shewed themselues unwilling and loath to depart.
1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit. (1632), 1023. What king hath be lother to punysh his subjects.
a. 1657. Sir W. Mure, Sonnet, iii. 12 (S.T.S.), I. 49. No greif at all … Sall mack me ewer loath of my estait.
1662. J. Bargrave, Pope Alex. VII. (1867), 22. His relations being lought to part with the estate they had got by his supposed death.
1667. Pepys, Diary, 7 Feb. I … would be loth he should not do well.
1713. Berkeley, Hylas & Phil., ii. Wks. 1871, I. 314. You are loath to part with your old prejudice.
1722. Sewel, Hist. Quakers (1795), I. III. 169. She found him moderate, and loth to send her to prison.
1724. Ramsay, Tea-t. Misc. (1733), I. 114. I am laith that she shou’d tyne.
1811. W. Taylor, in Monthly Mag., XXXI. 5. The Calvinists … are seen to be … loth to military service.
1844. Ld. Brougham, Brit. Const., ix. § 1 (1862), 113. Would be loath to risk a shilling of it.
1861. Geo. Eliot, Silas M., 62. Lammeter isn’t likely to be lotH for his daughter to marry into my family.
1890. Sir A. Kekewich, in Law Times Rep., LXIII. 764/1. One is loth to believe the similarity is innocent and unintentional.
b. without construction; sometimes quasi-adv. Phr. Nothing loath: not at all unwilling.
c. 1475. Lerne or be Laude, 11, in Babees Bk. To Lothe, ne to Lovyng, ne to Lyberalle of goode.
1608. G. Wilkins, Pericles, vi. (1857), 42. To take a loth and sorrowfull departure of her.
1667. Milton, P. L., IX. 1039. Her hand he seis’d, and to a shadie bank … He led her nothing loath.
1702. Rowe, Tamerl., I. i. 406. As Wretches … Part with their Lives, unwilling, loth and fearful.
1813. Scott, Rokeby, V. i. Thus aged men full loth and slow The vanities of life forego.
1836. J. H. Newman, in Lyra Apost. (1849), 123. See in king’s courts loth Jeremiah plead!
1852. Thackeray, Esmond, I. xi. The children were nothing loth, for the house was splendid, and the welcome kind enough.
1873. Browning, Red Cott. Nt.-cap, 227. Give me permission to cry ‘Out of bed, You loth rheumatic sluggard!’
† c. Displeased. Obs. rare.
a. 1250. Prov. Ælfred, 363, in O. E. Misc., 124. Þurh lesinge mon is loþ.
1670. Dryden, Conq. Granada, I. i. (1725), 38. You are loth, That, like a perjur’d Prince, you broke your Oath.
5. Used antithetically to lief, in senses 2 and 4. See LIEF a. 3, and quots. there given.
† 6. quasi-adv. Reluctantly, slowly. Obs.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter lxxvi[i]. 1. Þe laghere is oure voice and þe lathere ere we herd.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, II. 1185 (1234). Of þing ful ofte loth bygonne Cometh ende good.
Loath to depart. Orig. the tune of a song (prob. containing those words) expressive of regret for departure; transf. any tune played as a farewell.
1584. Greene, Arbasto, Wks. (Grosart), III. 211. With that she cast on me such a louing looke, as she seemed to play loth to depart.
1609. Ravenscroft’s Deuteromelia, in Chappell, Pop. Mus. Old Time, I. 173. Sing with thy mouth, sing with thy heart, Like faithful friends, sing Loath to depart.
1657. S. Purchas, Pol. Flying-Ins., 80. Yet againe returning to the Hive, with delightful melody singing a loath to depart, [they] invite all their Sisters to hasten apace, and wait upon their Queen now on her coronation day.
1855–7. Chappell, Pop. Mus. Old. Time, II. 708. It [sc. ‘The Girl I left behind me’] has also been played for at least seventy years, as a Loth-to-depart, when a man-of-war weighs anchor, and when a regiment quits the town in which it has been quartered.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., Loath to depart, probably the first line of some favourite song; formerly the air was sounded in men-of-war, when going foreign, for the women and children to quit the ship.
