# loath

Pronunciation: say "LOHTH" US /loʊθ/, UK /ləʊθ/

## Adjective

1. Reluctant or unwilling, and always followed by a verb phrase, such as to leave or to admit.
   - Simple: Not wanting to do something, used before "to" and a verb.
   - _Many voters are loath to admit they changed their minds._
   - _The company was loath to raise prices in the middle of a downturn._

## Verb

2. Obsolete spelling of loathe. *(obsolete)* — Obsolete spelling of loathe.
   - Simple: Obsolete spelling of loathe. An old way of writing the verb that means to hate.

## Adjective

3. Angry or hostile. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Angry and unfriendly.
4. Arousing disgust or strong dislike; unpleasant. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Very unpleasant and hard to stand.

## Origin

From Middle English lōth ("loath; averse, hateful"), from Old English lāð ("evil; loathsome") or Old Norse leiðr ("uncomfortable; tired"), from Proto-Germanic *laiþaz ("loath; hostile; sad"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leyt- ("to do something hateful"). It is related to German Leid ("grief, sorrow"), Dutch leed ("sad"), Danish led ("disgusting") and French laid ("ugly").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/loath (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).