Both Uses of
loathe
in
Othello, the Moor of Venice
- Haply, for I am black, And have not those soft parts of conversation That chamberers have; or for I am declin'd Into the vale of years,—yet that's not much,— She's gone; I am abus'd, and my relief Must be to loathe her.†
Scene 3.3 *loathe = hate
- That handkerchief Did an Egyptian to my mother give; She was a charmer, and could almost read The thoughts of people: she told her, while she kept it, 'Twould make her amiable and subdue my father Entirely to her love; but if she lost it Or made a gift of it, my father's eye Should hold her loathed, and his spirits should hunt After new fancies: she, dying, gave it me; And bid me, when my fate would have me wive, To give it her.†
Scene 3.4loathed = detested or intensely disliked
Definition:
hate, detest, or intensely dislike
Word Confusion: Do not confuse loathe with loath which sounds very similar or the same. Loathe is a verb while loath is an adjective describing "reluctance or unwillingness to do something." Note that loathing and loathsome are forms of the verb loathe even though both word forms lack the "e". Occasionally, you will see loath spelled as loathe even in a published book, but it is rare enough that it is generally considered an error rather than a non-standard spelling.