houspiller

French

Alternative forms

  • gouspiller (Norman)

Etymology

From Middle French houssepillier (to mistreat by shaking or growling) and Norman gouspiller (to shake, thrash, ill-treat), both from a root *housp-, *gousp- (to scorn, scold, reproach), from or akin to Old English hospan, ġehyspan (to deride, scorn, mock, reproach) (—Diez), or from Proto-Germanic *husp-, *hūsk-, from Proto-Indo-European *kūd- (to mock). Related to Old English hūsc (mockery, scorn, insult, derision), Old High German hosc (invective, censure, mockery, travesty), Norwegian dialectal huta (to shout at, treat contemptuously). Related to English forhush.

Pronunciation

  • (aspirated h) IPA(key): /us.pi.je/
  • (file)

Verb

houspiller

  1. to chide or scold someone harshly, usually accompanied by pulling and shaking, berate.
  2. to criticise
  3. to rebuke, reprehend
  4. to mistreat, torment, mob; to cause worry or distress

Conjugation

Further reading

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