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Originally Posted by stevo
then whats the past participle?
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Wow - didn't realize that you were serious. Sorry 'bout that. Turns out your jest was partially correct... From the dictionary:
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Originally Posted by dictionary.com
smite - v. smote, (smt) smit·ten, (smtn) or smote smit·ing, smites
v. tr.
To inflict a heavy blow on, with or as if with the hand, a tool, or a weapon.
To drive or strike (a weapon, for example) forcefully onto or into something else.
To attack, damage, or destroy by or as if by blows.
To afflict: The population was smitten by the plague.
To afflict retributively; chasten or chastise.
To affect sharply with great feeling: He was smitten by deep remorse.
v. intr.
To deal a blow with or as if with the hand or a hand-held weapon.
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[Middle English smiten, from Old English smtan, to smear.]
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smiter n.
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So, smitten is perfectly correct. Personally, I find smiter to be the most entertaining word there - it just sounds silly. That said, the alternate meaning of smitten:
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Originally Posted by dictionary.com
smitten
adj 1: (used in combination) affected by something overwhelming; "conscience-smitten"; "awe-struck" [syn: stricken, struck] 2: marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness; "she was crazy about him"; "gaga over the rock group's new album"; "he was infatuated with her" [syn: crazy, dotty, gaga, enamored, infatuated, in love, soft on(p), taken with(p)]
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explains why you see smote more often than smitten - less chance for confusion (not that the two are easily confused). I think people just instinctively shy away from using smitten in the smiting way.
Now that we've cleared that up, we can go back to disussing Pat Robertson.