# When Did "Smite" Go Ot of Use? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 4, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845 "2013-04-04T18:47:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/1 "2013-04-04T18:47:11Z")
Seems like a useful verb-basically a classier way of saying “to hit”. We still speak of being “smitten” (in reference to romantic love). Yet “smite” seems undersed. The KJV Bible likes it-when did it become passe? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/2 "2013-04-04T18:56:52Z")
After Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002): > [@Gandalf](#): > > …until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/3 "2013-04-04T19:24:13Z")
My son plays ‘Smite’ everyday. I get updates everyday. I know he told me who the new god(dess) is going to be but damn if I can remember. It’s one of those conversations where I smile and nod and hope he doesn’t quiz me afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/4 "2013-04-04T19:48:11Z")
oOT SMITE! ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/5 "2013-04-04T19:49:55Z")
It’s out of use? I still use it. I recently threatened to issue someone a smitation, in fact. Of course, I’ve been accused of “talking funny” a few times. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/6 "2013-04-04T19:55:50Z")
I hear “smitten” occasionally, but in such a different context. “Smiting” feels like something only a God or Goddess can do, maybe because of it’s use int he King James Bible. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/7 "2013-04-04T20:05:36Z")
Check her out. Yeah, I’d smite that. But first I have to study. Time to smite the books. Then tonight I’m going to see a show. It’s a Broadway smite! ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/8 "2013-04-04T20:14:24Z")
Back in my younger Adventure-playing days, I encountered a huge fierce snake that barred my way! Among my many attempts to get past the snake, I tried “SMITE SNAKE” (It seemed reasonable, since I was carrying the rusty Rod at the time.) But it didn’t understand. This was in the early 1970’s. So if Adventure didn’t grok that, I guess it was already out of style then. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/9 "2013-04-04T20:27:37Z")
I use it when I want to sound biblical. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/10 "2013-04-04T20:46:39Z")
Past tense of “smite”-is it “smote”? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/11 "2013-04-05T01:58:03Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Past tense of “smite”-is it “smote”? [Yes.](https://www.google.com/search?q=smote&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/12 "2013-04-05T04:06:45Z")
Play a paladin in Dungeons & Dragons. They smite evil creatures with great regularity. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/13 "2013-04-05T05:41:25Z")
\*“Here at Orbital Artillery Command, people complain we think we’re God. We aren’t God; we just borrowed his ‘smite’ button” \*- a quote I picked up somewhere. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Play a paladin in Dungeons & Dragons. They smite evil creatures with great regularity. “Smite Evil!” I see that a fair amount as an _Order of the Stick_ fan. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-smite-go-ot-of-use/654845/14 "2013-04-05T05:53:07Z")
Smite is roughly associated with the divine now. I don’t think it really has the connotation of “to hit” so much as “hit with heavenly fury”. I know plenty of people who use it, but only when they’re being over the top (or, as mentioned, talking about roleplaying games). When it came to be used primarily as a divine thing is a good question, though.