# shand

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #55,731

## Definitions
1. Shame; scandal; disgrace.
2. Base coin; one with mixed metals.

## Etymology
From Middle English shande, schande, schonde, from Old English sċeand, sċand (“shame, disgrace, infamy”), from Proto-West Germanic *skandu, from Proto-Germanic *skandō (“shame, disgrace”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱem- (“to cover, hide, conceal”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Skounde (“shame, disgrace”), West Frisian skande (“disgrace, shame, humiliation”), Dutch schande (“shame, disgrace, reproach, dishonour, scandal”), German Schande (“shame, disgrace, ignominity, dishonour”), Luxembourgish Schan (“shame”), Yiddish שאַנד (shand, “shame”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰 (skanda, “shame, disgrace”). Related to shame, shend. Doublet of shanda and shonda.
Compare typologically the opposite direction meaning shift Proto-Slavic *pozorъ < *zьrěti (“to observe”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/shand