Despicable
/dɪˈspɪk.ə.bəl/noun
Deserving contempt or dislike.
Did you know?Despicable comes from Latin despicere, “to look down on,” built from de- (“down”) + specere (“to look”), the same ancient root that gave us spectacle, inspect, and perspective.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spek-
“to look, to observe”
Latin
Latin
specere
“to look”
Latin
Latin
despicere
“to look down on, scorn”
Late Latin
Latin
despicabilis
“deserving to be despised or looked down upon”
Middle English
English
despicable
“fit to be despised; contemptible”
Modern English
English
despicable
“deserving contempt or disgust”
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