pred. a. [pa. pple. of prec., in OE. asceamod; probably also combining OE. ʓesceamod, ME. yschamed. Cf. Ger. erschämt.]
1. Affected with shame; abashed or put to confusion by a consciousness of guilt or error; disconcerted by a recognition that one’s actions or circumstances are in any way not to one’s credit.
c. 1000. Crist (Grein), 1299. Hi ascamode swíciaþ on swiman.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 636. Naked were þei boþe tweyn, Ashamed were þei not certeyn.
c. 1400. Rowland & Ot., 289. Þe Duke Naymes asschamede was, Þe blode stert up in his face.
c. 1500. Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866), 31. Loue that servaunte as thy childe that sone is ashamyde.
1611. Bible, Jer. xvii. 13. All that forsake thee shall be ashamed.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 292, ¶ 9. In Milton, the Devil is never described ashamed but once.
2. Const. a. of (on, for, obs.) the cause of shame. For a person: vicariously on his account.
1250. Lay., 29608. And weren ascam[ed) sore for þan owreaste deade.
1388. Wyclif, Ezek. xxxvi. 32. Be ȝe aschamed on ȝoure weies.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XII. Prol. 285. Eschamyt of hyr chance.
1673. Cave, Prim. Chr., I. i. 10. The honester and severer Romans were ashamed on’t.
1752. Johnson, Rambl., No. 192, ¶ 11. I began to be ashamed of sitting idle.
a. 1762. Lady Montague, Lett., xlv. 157. I am ashamed for her who wrote them.
1825. J. Neal, Bro. Jonathan, I. 378. Are you ashamed already of … sorrow and contrition?
b. with subord. cl.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 6570. To make hym be ashamede Þat he shulde be so defamede.
1601. Shaks., Jul. C., II. ii. 106. I am ashamed I did yeeld to them.
1859. Tennyson, Enid, 577. Ashamed am I that I should tell it thee.
c. with inf. phr.
1647. Cowley, Mistr., Discovery, i. Why should she asham’d or angry be, To be belov’d by Me?
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 302, ¶ 11. I am ashamed to be caught in this Pickle.
1855. Tennyson, Maud, I. xiii. 25. Ashamed to be seen.
Mod. I was ashamed to see it.
3. With inf. phr.: a. Reluctant through fear of shame to. b. With a negative: Prevented or deterred by fear of shame from.
1382. Wyclif, Luke xvi. 3. I am aschamyd to begge.
1414. Brampton, Penit. Ps., xli. 16. He, that was sumtyme my frende, Is noȝt aschamyd me to assayle.
a. 1593. H. Smith, Serm. (1637), 396. We are ashamed of sinne and yet not ashamed to sinne.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 271, ¶ 4. He would have made us ashamed to show our Heads.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., II. 96. He was not ashamed to answer that he could not live out of the royal smile.
4. rarely attrib. arch.
c. 1746. Hervey, Medit. (1818), 77. To hide their ashamed heads in the bottom of the ocean.
1872. Darwin, Emotions, xiii. 322. An ashamed person can hardly endure to meet the gaze of those present.
