contemn

WOTD – 20 March 2007

English

Etymology

From Old French contemner, from Latin contemnere (“to scorn”). See also contempt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈtɛm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛm

Verb

contemn (third-person singular simple present contemns, present participle contemning, simple past and past participle contemned)

1. To disdain; to value at little or nothing; to treat or regard with contempt.
   • 1919, W. Somerset Maugham, “11”, in The Moon and Sixpence:

     [...] I was perturbed by the suspicion that the anguish of love contemned was alloyed in her broken heart with the pangs, sordid to my young mind, of wounded vanity.

Synonyms

• despise, scorn
• See also Wikisaurus:despise

Related terms

• contemner
• contempt
• contemptibility
• contemptible
• contemptibly
• contemptuous

Translations

to treat or regard with contempt

• Armenian: արհամարհել (arhamarhel)
• Bulgarian: презирам (bg) (preziram), пренебрегвам (bg) (prenebregvam)
• Catalan: menyspreuar, desdenyar (ca)
• Finnish: halveksia (fi), halveksua
• German: verachten (de)
• Hebrew: בז (he) (baz)

• Italian: disprezzare (it), disdegnare
• Russian: презирать (ru) n, impf (prezirátʼ), пренебрегать (ru) n, impf (prenebregátʼ), попирать (ru) n, impf (popirátʼ)
• Spanish: despreciar (es), menospreciar (es)
• Turkish: küçümsemek (tr)