Ignominy
/ˈɪɡ.nə.mɪ.ni/noun
Public shame, disgrace, or humiliation.
Did you know?Ignominy comes from Latin ignominia, built from in- plus nomen (“name”): in Roman culture, to be stripped of your name was to be stripped of reputation, a social death more terrifying than simple insult.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁nómn̥
“name”
Latin
Latin
nōmen
“name”
Latin
Latin
ignōminia
“disgrace, loss of honor; literally “namelessness””
Old French
Old French
ignominie
“disgrace, shame”
Middle English
English
ignominy
“disgrace, shame, humiliation”
Modern English
English
ignominy
“public shame or humiliation”