What does chid mean?
"Chid" is the past tense of "chide," a verb meaning to scold, reproach, or rebuke — usually with words rather than punishment, and often with a tone of mild disappointment rather than rage. A teacher who chid a student for sloppy handwriting expressed disapproval without cruelty; the word carries a slightly old-fashioned, literary air. Historically, "chide" was a fully irregular verb: its past was "chid" and its past participle "chidden," much as "hide" becomes "hid" and "hidden." Over time English regularized it, so "chided" is now the standard past form, and "chid" appears mainly in literature, historical fiction, and deliberately archaic prose. Readers encountering it should simply read it as "scolded." The related noun "chiding" still turns up occasionally to mean a round of scolding. For writers seeking a refined, slightly antique alternative to "scolded" or "berated," "chid" offers quiet authority and a pleasing echo of older English.
verb (past tense and chiefly British/archaic past participle of "chide")"Chid" is the simple past tense of the verb "chide," meaning to scold or rebuke someone mildly or earnestly. It can also serve as an archaic or literary past participle, though "chided" is now the standard form.
- Simple past tense of "chide" — to have scolded or rebuked someone.
- Archaic or literary past participle of "chide" (now usually "chided").
"The old gardener chid the boys for trampling his flowerbeds."
"She chid her assistant gently for forgetting the appointment, then moved on to friendlier topics."
"The shepherd in the poem chid the lazy dog that would not bark at strangers."
English once had a whole family of irregular forms for "scold" — you didn't just chide someone, you chid them yesterday and had chidden them before — but modern English has quietly regularized almost all of them away.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chid
The verb "chide" derives from the Old English "cīdan," meaning to strive, quarrel, or contend, which in turn came from the noun "cīd" (strife, quarrel). It has been part of English since the earliest recorded period, and through Middle English its sense narrowed from general quarrelling toward the scolding sense familiar today. The irregular past "chid" reflects the verb's original strong conjugation, later competing with the weak form "chided." No widely accepted cognates survive in other Germanic languages, making the word essentially native to English.
Related word forms
How chid is actually used
"Chid" belongs to formal, literary, or deliberately archaic register; in everyday speech and most modern writing, "chided" has replaced it as both the past tense and past participle. The older irregular participle "chidden" survives only in very literary contexts.
Easily confused with chid
"Chid" is the past tense of the verb "chide" (to scold), while "child" is a noun meaning a young human being.
Both are past forms of "chide": "chid" is the older irregular past tense, whereas "chided" is the modern standard past tense and past participle.