Contempt
/kənˈtɛmpt/noun
A feeling that someone or something is beneath consideration or worthless.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin contemptus, from contemnere, meaning “to scorn” or “to despise,” built from con- (“with, completely”) + temnere (“to scorn”), a root that also gave English words tied to disdain and rejection.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tem-
“to cut, split off, or mark off as separate”
Latin
Latin
temnere
“to scorn, despise”
Latin
Latin
contemnere
“to despise utterly; to scorn”
Latin
Latin
contemptus
“scorn, disdain; the act of despising”
Middle English
English
contempt
“scorn; disdain; the state of being despised”
Modern English
English
contempt
“a feeling that someone or something is beneath consideration or worthless”
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