Where does “contempt” come from?
Contempt comes from Latin contemptus, the past participle of contemno, meaning to treat with disdain, formed with the prefix con- meaning together or against.
contempt (English): The state or act of contemning; the feeling or...
Definitions
- The state or act of contemning; the feeling or...
Ancestry of “contempt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | contemptus | despised, despicable; contemptible, vile; Valued... |
| 2 | Latin | contemnō | to scorn, despise, show contempt |
| 3 | Latin | com- | allomorph of con- |
| 4 | Latin | con- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing... |
| 5 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 6 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 10 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 11 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 12 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 13 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 14 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |