Tudor & Stuart · oath · interjection
'sblood
ZBLUD /zblʌd/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recordedc. 1597
An old oath of anger or astonishment, short for 'God's blood', referring to the blood of Christ. The initial 'S is all that is left of 'God's'.
Where it was first recorded
William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1 (c. 1597) — earliest citation in Green's Dictionary of Slang.
Also spelled: 'sblud, 'slud, 'zbud, 'sbud
In its own time
'Sblood, I am as melancholy as a gib cat or a lugged bear.
Today
Modern example'Sblood! The Wi-Fi's down again in the middle of the match.
Usable today only as a theatrical, Shakespearean-flavoured oath.
Minced from 'God's blood'; once a strong, blasphemous oath, now archaic.
Questions
What does 'sblood mean?
An old oath of anger or astonishment, short for 'God's blood', referring to the blood of Christ. The initial 'S is all that is left of 'God's'.
When was 'sblood first used?
It is first recorded c. 1597 — William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1 (c. 1597) — earliest citation in Green's Dictionary of Slang.
Can you still use 'sblood today?
Usable today only as a theatrical, Shakespearean-flavoured oath.
Sources
- ’sblood!, excl. — Green's Dictionary of Slang
- 'sblood — Wiktionary
- Henry IV, Part 1 (full text) — The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, MIT
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above