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 hosp (“reproach, insult”), Old English 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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