smitten

Adjective

smitten (comparative more smitten, superlative most smitten)

1. Affected by an act of smiting.
   • [A] smited man is a man struck; a smitten man is a man affected by the act of smiting: […]1850, Matthew Stewart, Remarks on the Subject of Language, with Some Observations in the Form of Notes, Illustrative of the Information which Language may Afford of the History and Opinions of...
   • There was a tense silence over the throng as the old man stood and looked at the figure at his feet. There were shadows on the earl's face, and his hands shook, for the smitten man was his son.1903, Warwick Deeping, “Book I. The Way to Winchester”, in Uther and Igraine, New York, N.Y.: The Outlook Company, published 1904, →OCLC, page 22
   1. Made irrationally enthusiastic.
      • There is not, I am persuaded, an individual of the many Nature-smitten enthusiasts who yearly visit the wild glens of Kincardineshire, that would not walk barefoot a hundred miles to kneel at the tomb of him who founded the beautifully-situated village of Balrangle.1869, Joseph Grant, “The Grocer's Daughter”, in Tales of the Glens with Ballads and Songs, new edition, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire: Published by John Taylor, →OCLC, page 9
      • One of the side benefits of such has been making the acquaintances of similarly smitten enthusiasts, and inevitably they are keen to share both plants and experiences.1980, Arboretum Bulletin, Seattle, Wash.: [University of Washington], →OCLC, page 26
   2. In love.
      • At the end of the long procession came a smitten woman. […] I think of the women who have fastened the tendrils of their heart's affection round unworthy men, and have married them, hoping, trusting and believing that their love and influence would be powerful enough to win the men to sobriety and...1912, Thomas Holmes, “Marriage in the Underworld”, in London's Underworld (The Making of the Modern Law), London: J. M. Dent & Sons; New York, N.Y.: E. P. Dutton, OCLC 60735063; republished as...
      • In “The Soldier Maid,” a woman falls in love with the cross-dressed woman, thinking she is a man. The smitten woman, then, perceives herself in heterosexual mode – though the person to whom she is attracted is actually female.1997, Pauline Greenhill, “‘The Handsome Cabin Boy’: Cross-Dressing Ballads, Sexualities, and Gendered Meanings”, in Pauline Greenhill, Diane Tye, editors, Undisciplined Women: Tradition and Culture...