damage

English Online Dictionary. What means damage‎? What does damage mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English damage, from Old French damage, from Vulgar Latin *damnāticum from Classical Latin damnum. Compare modern French dommage. Displaced Middle English scath.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdæmɪd͡ʒ/
• Rhymes: -æmɪdʒ
• Hyphenation: dam‧age

Noun

damage (countable and uncountable, plural damages)

1. Injury or harm; the condition or measure of something not being intact.

   The storm did a lot of damage to the area.
2. (slang) Cost or expense.

   "What's the damage?" he asked the waiter.

Usage notes

Currently it is only used as an uncountable noun, except in the plural. There are few examples of countable (singular) use.

Derived terms

Related terms

• damn
• indemnity

Translations

Verb

damage (third-person singular simple present damages, present participle damaging, simple past and past participle damaged)

1. (transitive) To impair the soundness, goodness, or value of; to harm or cause destruction.

   Be careful not to damage any of the fragile items while unpacking them.

   Cold temperatures, heavy rain, falling rocks, strong winds and glacier movement can damage the equipment.

   • 1774, Edward Long, The History of Jamaica. Or, General Survey of the Antient and Modern State of that Island, volume 2, book 2, chapter 7, 5:

     The building was erected in two years, at the parochial expence, on the foundation of the former one, which was irreparably damaged by the hurricane of Auguſt, 1712.
2. (intransitive, obsolete) To undergo damage.
3. (transitive) To remove a damaged or unsalable item from the sales floor for processing.

Derived terms

• undamaged

Translations

References

Middle English

Alternative forms

• damege, dammage, dampnage, domage

Etymology

From Old French damage, from Vulgar Latin *damnāticum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /daˈmaːdʒ(ə)/, /dɔˈmaːdʒ(ə)/, /ˈdamadʒ(ə)/

Noun

damage (plural damages)

1. damage, harm, injury
2. loss (of reputation, etc.)
3. (rare) disability, weakness
4. (law, often in the plural) damages (compensation for loss)

Related terms

• damagen

Descendants

• English: damage
• Scots: dammish

References

• “damāǧe, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Old French

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *damnāticum from Classical Latin damnum.

Pronunciation

• (classical) IPA^(key): /daˈmadʒə/
• (late) IPA^(key): /daˈmaʒə/

Noun

damage m (oblique plural damages, nominative singular damages, nominative plural damage)

1. damage
2. injury, hurt, insult

Related terms

• damagier

Descendants

• French: dommage
• Norman: dommage
• → Friulian: daneç
• → Irish: damáiste
• → Middle English: damage (see there for further descendants)
• → Piedmontese: darmage, darmagi
• → Sicilian: damaggiu