Where does “spite” come from?
Spite comes from Middle English despit, from Old French despit, from Latin despectus, the past participle of despicere meaning to look down on, from de- and specere meaning to look.
spite (English): Ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied...
Definitions
- Ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied...
Ancestry of “spite”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | spit | — |
| 2 | Middle English | despit | — |
| 3 | Old French | despit | — |
| 4 | Latin | dēspectus | disdained, despised |
| 5 | Latin | dēspiciō | to look down upon |
| 6 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 7 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 8 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 9 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |