α. see hard adj. and n. and -ship suffix.
β. Scottish 1800s hardskep.
hardshipn.
/ˈhɑːdʃɪp/, U.S. /ˈhɑrdˌʃɪp/ 1. Originally: †the quality of being hard to bear, harshness, severity (obsolete). Later more generally: the quality of being hard (in various senses); (now only) the quality of being difficult to achieve; difficulty; = hardness n. 5.Apparently rare before 17th cent., and always less common than hardness.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [noun] > hardship > quality of
hardship?c1225
the world > action or operation > manner of action > violent action or operation > severity > [noun]
tartnessc1000
asperity?c1225
hardship?c1225
smartness1340
duressc1400
straitnessc1460
hardlaikc1540
severeness1579
sorenessa1586
grievousness1611
severity1835
sting1860
the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > [noun] > severity or acuteness
tartnessc1000
hardship?c1225
smartness1340
sharpnessa1400
gripea1547
pungency1649
severity1835
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 268 Hardschipe of lif.
c1450 tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Lyfe Manhode (Cambr.) (1869) 172 (MED) Whan the eye hath wel seyn the hardshipe [F. durte] of the herte, Anoon it is stired hard to weepe.
?a1475 Lessons of Dirige (Douce) l. 138 in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 125 (MED) Shewe thow forth thy grete goodnes, And thyne hardshyp vp thow pynne.
1635 W. Jemmat in T. Taylor Princ. Christian Pract. Ep. Ded. sig. A3v Only those that have aimed aright, and rightly steared their course for God and heaven, shall (though with much hardship) arrive at the wished haven of rest and glorie.
1643 H. Burton Narration of Life 22 Had I continued in Lancaster Castle (besides the hardship of lodging, cold, and other usage) I could never have enjoyed [etc.].
1648 J. Howell Winter Dreame 7 Yet notwithstanding the hardship of the soyl, I found her full of Abbey, Monasteries,..and other places of devotion.
1670 D. Lloyd State Worthies (ed. 2) 28 He considered the difficulty of discerning truth; the hardship of confining the Quick-silver thoughts.
1722 W. Strahan tr. J. Domat Civil Law II. v. ii. 225 We were of opinion..that the Hardship of that Law was inconsistent with Equity.
1769 O. Goldsmith Rom. Hist. I. 148 The people seemed entirely satisfied of the hardship of his case.
1809 Edinb. Rev. July 439 The principal obstacles..have been the difficulty of it, and the hardship of making courtly statesmen change the phraseology of the drawing-room for that of the college.
1853 J. H. Skene Anadol xxiii. 269 They had..got fresh horses amidst many deep-mouthed ‘Allah! Allah's!’ at the hardship of the task.
1931 F. Santiago Devel. Music Philippine Islands 13 The poem is about the hardship of winning the love of a maiden.
1983 Textile Industries Apr. 56/1 The hardship of securing hard currency by mills of any size.
2. Something which is hard to bear.
a. As a count noun: a harsh, adverse, or harassing circumstance; a difficulty, esp. in respect of one's ability to live comfortably; a privation. Frequently in plural.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [noun] > hardship > a) hardship(s)
hardnesseOE
hardship?c1225
fitc1325
hardinessa1398
a bitter spreada1500
endurancea1555
endurement1605
straina1628
a hard chapter1684
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 4 Swich oðere hardschipes þet moni flesch mei þolien.
a1450 Pater Noster Richard Ermyte (Westm. Sch. 3) (1967) 54 Forþi schal suche hardschipis be reulid wiþ mesure & wiþ skil, þat þe foule lust of þe fleisch be fordon.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage iv. iv. 310 The Persians exercised their children to..endure all hardships of heate, cold, showres, & such like.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 33 The unwelcome hardships of Winter.
1722 D. Defoe Relig. Courtship i. i. 28 This seems to be a Hardship, that never was put upon any one before.
1783 W. Thomson in R. Watson & W. Thomson Hist. Reign Philip III v. 314 He burned with impatience to exchange the luxury of a palace for the dangers and hardships of the field.
1832 H. Martineau Demerara ii. 14 The hardships inflicted on himself and his brother partners.
1875 A. Trollope Way we live Now II. xcv. 287 It is not generally considered a hardship by a young man that he should have to go into a good partridge country on the 1st of September.
1903 G. Gissing Private Papers Henry Ryecroft 138 His hardships were never excessive; they did not affect his health or touch his spirits.
1976 B. Broadfoot Pioneer Years 28 You had to clear 10 acres a year for three years, and you had to live on your holding for six months a year—and those two things were a hardship.
2012 H. Lucht Darkness before Daybreak iv. 122 Most migrants seemed to have a generally pragmatic attitude toward..the hardships experienced en route to Europe.
b. As a mass noun: hard or adverse circumstances; adversity; a state of want or privation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [noun] > hardship
hardeOE
grief?c1225
nowcinc1225
sharpship?c1225
straitnessa1340
necessityc1390
hardlaikc1540
hardshipc1540
disage1607
rough1615
rigour1632
erumny1657
strait1837
sufferation1976
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 43 A vnhappy hegh kyng what hardship is to the.
1591 tr. A. Saravia Of Diuerse Degrees Ministers of Gospell i. xiii. 37 Some enioy their office,..& teach their people at home, and indure no hardship abroad.
1614 S. Latham Falconry i. xvi. 74 If she be a fresh Haggard or there abouts she will bee so much the more able to abide some hardship, both in her diet and labour.
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd i. 341 Men to much misery and hardship born. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics ii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 91 Inur'd to Hardship, and to homely Fare. View more context for this quotation
1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 172 They were put to great Straits, for the Weather grew cold and wet in October and November, and they had not been us'd to so much hardship.
1791 R. Beilby Gen. Hist. Quadrupeds (ed. 2) 10 The Old English Road-Horse was strong, vigorous, and active, and capable of enduring great hardship.
1849 G. Grote Hist. Greece VI. ii. xlvii. 54 He had his share both of the benefit and the hardship.
1888 J. Ruskin Præterita III. i. 18 Resolute choice of a life of hardship.
1911 Encycl. Brit. XIV. 757/2 After undergoing great hardship the Nemedians succeeded in destroying the fortress.
1971 Guardian 16 Mar. 7/2 The North-west Transport Users' Consultative Committee..concluded that to take off the service would cause hardship to displaced rail commuters.
2011 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 14 July 22/2 Low-income families experience growing economic hardship.
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the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > ill-treatment > [noun] > act or instance of
filthc1400
misusage1555
hardship1649
1649 Triall Lieut. Col. J. Lilburne 42 There fell some words from you..wherein you think you have this hardship put upon you, when you say the Judges & your persecuters have had 6 moneths time to meet together and consult together how to destroy you.
1682 H. Care Utrum Horum To Rdr. sig. A8 They would inflame us both to hardships towards dissenting Protestants at home, and set us at odds with most of the Reformed Churches abroad.
1711 J. Swift Conduct of Allies 84 To recover..the Effects of their Hardships upon Us.
1780 E. Burke Let. 10 Aug. in Corr. (1963) IV. 261 I do not know, that I have ever offerd..an hardship or even an affront to the religious prejudices of any person whatsoever.
Compounds
General attributive, esp. with reference to arrangements intended to alleviate or mitigate the consequences of hardship (sense 2), as hardship case, hardship fund.
ΚΠ
1919 G. L. Clark Equity ii. 217 The real basis of the hardship cases is inequality of the position of the parties.
1948 N.Y. Times 22 Feb. e4 He may be obliged to call on the British Medical Association's hardship fund to pay his rent and feed his family.
1973 J. Quick Dict. Weapons 377/2 To remove a person, crew, unit, or the like from..service in a hardship environment.
2001 Courier Mag. (Aberystwyth Univ. Students' Union) Mar. 13 I've seen the effects of tuition fees on students—the increasing number of students applying for hardship loans, increased stress and psychological worries.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
hardshipv.
/ˈhɑːdʃɪp/, U.S. /ˈhɑrdˌʃɪp/ Somewhat rare.
transitive. To cause (a person, group of people, etc.) to suffer hardship.
ΚΠ
1844 Times 10 Jan. 5/5 If cases like this were allowed to proceed, hardshipping, harassing, and oppressing the labouring poor, it would not be a matter of surprise that this county should be immersed in those crimes.
1904 G. B. Shaw Common Sense of Munic. Trading viii. 77 The local authority..has to proceed with a constant care to avoid ‘hardshipping’ its constituents.
1973 Evening News (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan) 18 Apr. 4/2 No group of people should put themselves about to hardship the taxpayers to raise billions to help a heathenish group of cutthroats.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.?c1225
v.1844