shames

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of shame.

   The scandal shames the entire family in front of their neighbors.

   Her quiet generosity shames everyone who gave nothing at all.

   Note

   Here the verb almost always takes an object: something shames someone. Current use runs from causing the feeling, to public denunciation, to pushing a person into action, as when one person's generosity shames others into giving. The intransitive use, meaning to feel ashamed oneself, is obsolete, so "she shames at it" sounds like an older voice rather than present-day English.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of shame.

   The old letters revealed the family's deepest shames.

   He finally confessed his private shames to a trusted friend.

   Note

   Shame is usually a mass noun, so the plural appears only when the word names separate things: particular disgraces, regrets, or causes of reproach. That is why it pairs naturally with words like secret, private and old, since each shame is something that could be listed. For the feeling itself, keep the singular: you feel shame, not shames.

3. 3
   SaySHAH-muhsUS/ˈʃɑməs/UK/ˈʃɑːməs/

   noun

   Alternative form of shammes.

   The shames tended the lamps and kept the prayer books in order.

   Families relied on the shames to announce the start of each service.

   Note

   A separate word that only happens to share this spelling. It names the synagogue's sexton, and also the helper candle used to light the others on a Hanukkah menorah. Its plural is shamesim, which keeps it distinct from the plural of shame in writing. In speech and reading, context settles it: a shames who tends the lamps is a person, not a disgrace.

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