Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “deign” come from?

Deign comes from Middle English deignen, from Old French deignier, from Latin dignus meaning worthy, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European deḱ-.

deign (English): To condescend; to do despite a perceived affront...

Definitions

  1. To condescend; to do despite a perceived affront...

Ancestry of “deign”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdeignen—
2Old Frenchdeignierto deign; to condescend
3Latindīgnō—
4Latindīgnus—
5Proto-Italicdegnos—
6Proto-Indo-Europeandḱ-nós—
7Proto-Indo-Europeandeḱ-take; perceive

Words derived from “deign”

  • deignest
  • deigneth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European deḱ- →