Where does “despise” come from?

Despise comes from Middle English despisen, from Old French despis-, meaning to scorn or treat with contempt.

despise (English): To regard with contempt or scorn; To disregard or...

Definitions

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Middle English	despisen	—
2	Old French	despis-	—
3	Latin	dēspicere	—
4	Latin	dē-	—
5	Latin	dē	—
6	Latin	post	behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,...
7	Latin	poste	ablative singular of postis
8	Proto-Italic	posti	—
9	Proto-Indo-European	pósti	—
10	Proto-Indo-European	pós	afterwards, post; by, at

despise — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer