• IPA: /ʃeɪm/

From Middle English schame, from Old English sċamu, from Proto-Germanic *skamō.

shame (uncountable)

1. An uncomfortable or painful feeling due to recognition or consciousness of one's own impropriety or dishonor or something being exposed that should have been kept private.

   When I realized that I had hurt my friend, I felt deep shame.

   The teenager couldn’t bear the shame of introducing his parents.

   • 1564 February, Erasmus, “The Saiynges of Aristippus”, in Nicolas Udall [i.e., Nicholas Udall], transl., Apophthegmes, that is to Saie, Prompte, Quicke, Wittie and Sentẽcious Saiynges, […], London: […] Ihon Kingston, →OCLC ↗, book I, folio 43, verso ↗, paragraph 42:

     When he had saied no: what (ſaid Ariſtippus) is it ſhame to ſaile in a Shippe, that hath afoꝛetymes caried a great nomber mo: […]

   • c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene i]:

     Have you no modesty, no maiden shame?

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC ↗:

     When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper.

2. Something to regret.

   It was a shame not to see the show after driving all that way.

   • 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 34”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […]‎, London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC ↗:

     Nor can thy ſhame giue phiſicke to my griefe,

   • 1977, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Shame:

     And what you do to me is a shame.

3. Reproach incurred or suffered; dishonour; ignominy; derision.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Ezekiel 36:6 ↗:

     […] because ye haue borne the shame of the heathen,

   • 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: Printed for J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC ↗:

     Honour and shame from no condition rise.

   • 1813, Lord Byron, The Giaour:

     And every woe a tear can claim
     Except an erring sister's shame.

4. The cause or reason of shame; that which brings reproach and ignominy.
   • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:

     guides who are the shame of religion

   • 1989, Grant Naylor, Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers:

     Rimmer ducked his body low into his chair, so just his head remained above the table top, and peered past the backs of the examinees in front of him, waiting for the adjudicator to make his move. Waiting for him to leap forward and rip off his flimsy flightsuit, exposing his shame: his illustrated body, Rimmer's cheating frame.

5. That which is shameful and private, especially private parts.
6. The capacity to be ashamed, inhibiting one from brazen behaviour; due regard for one's own moral conduct and how one is perceived by others; restraint, moderation, decency.

   Don't you have any shame?

• (uncomfortable or painful feeling) dishonor
• (something regrettable) dishonor, humiliation, mortification, pity
• See also: Thesaurus:shame

• (antonym(s) of “uncomfortable or painful feeling”): honor

• French: honte
• German: Scham, Schande
• Italian: vergogna
• Portuguese: vergonha
• Russian: стыд
• Spanish: vergüenza, acholo

• French: dommage
• German: Schande
• Italian: peccato
• Portuguese: vergonha
• Russian: доса́да
• Spanish: vergüenza, pena, pudor

• Italian: vergogne, putenza
• Russian: срам
• Spanish: vergüenzas

1. A cry of admonition for the subject of a speech, either to denounce the speaker or to agree with the speaker's denunciation of some person or matter; often used reduplicated, especially in political debates.
   • 1982, “Telecommunications Bill ↗”, in Hansard:

     Mr John Golding: One would not realise that it came from the same Government, because in that letter the Under-Secretary states: "The future of BT's pension scheme is a commercial matter between BT, its workforce, and the trustees of the pensions scheme, and the Government cannot give any guarantees about future pension arrangements."
     #*: Mr. Charles R. Morris: Shame.

   • 1831, The Bristol Job Nott; or, Labouring Man's Friend‎^{[http://books.google.de/books?id=a3FIAAAAYAAJ&vq=shame!&hl=de&pg=PA42#v=onepage&q&f=false]}:

     […] the Duke of Dorset charged in the list with "not known, but supposed forty thousand per year" (charitable supposition) had when formerly in office only about 3 or £4,000, and has not now, nor when the black list was printed, any office whatever — (Much tumult, and cries of "shame" and "doust the liars")

2. (South Africa) Expressing sympathy.

   Shame, you poor thing, you must be cold!

shame

1. (Australian Aboriginal) Feeling shame; ashamed.

From Middle English schamen, from Old English sċamian, from Proto-West Germanic *skamēn, from Proto-Germanic *skamāną.

shame (shames, present participle shaming; simple past and past participle shamed)

1. (transitive) To cause to feel shame.

   I was shamed by the teacher's public disapproval.

   • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:

     Were there but one righteous in the world, he would […] shame the world, and not the world him.

2. (transitive) To cover with reproach or ignominy; to dishonor; to disgrace.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗, stanza 13, page 295 ↗:

     And with fowle cowardize his carcas ſhame,

3. (transitive) To denounce as having done something shameful; to criticize with the intent or effect of causing a feeling of shame.

   Stop shaming others about their food choices.

4. (transitive) To drive or compel by shame.

   The politician was shamed into resigning.

5. (obsolete, intransitive) To feel shame, be ashamed.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/MaloryWks2/1:9.22?rgn=div2;view=fulltext XXII], in Le Morte Darthur, book VII:

     Broder she said I can not telle yow For it was not done by me nor by myn assente
     For he is my lord and I am his
     and he must be myn husband
     therfore my broder I wille that ye wete I shame me not to be with hym
     nor to doo hym alle the pleasyr that I can

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • c. 1607–1608, William Shakeſpeare, The Late, And much admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: Imprinted at London for Henry Goſſon,  […], published 1609, →OCLC ↗, [Act IV, scene iii] ↗:

     I do ſhame to thinke of what a noble ſtraine you are, and of how coward a ſpirit.

6. (obsolete, transitive) To mock at; to deride.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Psalms 14:6 ↗:

     Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.

• (to cause to feel shame) demean, humiliate, insult, mortify

• (antonym(s) of “to cause to feel shame”): honor, dignify

• German: beschämen
• Portuguese: envergonhar
• Russian: стыди́ть
• Spanish: avergonzar

• French: honnir

• Russian: пристыжа́ть