Deign
/deɪn/noun
To do something that one considers beneath one's dignity; to condescend.
Did you know?Deign comes from Old French and ultimately from Latin dignari, meaning “to deem worthy,” so the word literally started as a judgment of worth before it became a social snub.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dek-
“to take, accept; be fitting or seemly”
Latin
Latin
dignus
“worthy, fitting, deserving”
Late Latin
Latin
dignāre
“to deem worthy; to condescend”
Old French
Old French
daigner
“to think worthy; to condescend”
Middle English
English
deinen / deignen
“to deem worthy; to condescend”
Modern English
English
deign
“to do something only if one considers it worthy of one's rank or dignity”