Shoure

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A short downpour of rain or hail ; an archaic term for a violent attack or onslaught
2. A brief burst of rainfall or hailstones ; in older English, a sudden assault or forceful strike upon someone
3. Rain or hail that falls briefly ; a former word for an assault or an overwhelming attack

Etymology: Before "shower" meant a brief fall of rain, English spelled it "shoure," and the older sense was broader and more violent. The Old English "scūr" meant a storm, a squall, or a sudden onslaught, and it could describe a hail of missiles as well as weather. Medieval writers used "shoure" the same way, for a rushing blast of wind or rain and for a volley of arrows or blows. The "sh" spelling arrived later. Old English had "sc" in words like "scūr," which was pronounced with a "sk" sound, and that sound shifted to "sh" in Middle English. The same shift appears in "ship" and "shirt," which were also once spelled with "sc." The modern noun is the same word, though the older spelling and its wider range of meanings have largely disappeared.