contemno

Latin

Alternative forms

• contempnō

Etymology

Uncertain. By surface analysis, con- +‎ temnō. De Vaan argues that the verb temnō is likely a back-formation from contemnō, as contemnō has much older attestation. Regardless, the term likely derives from a nasal-infix verb from *temh₁-.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [kɔnˈtɛm.noː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [konˈtɛm.no]

Verb

contemnō (present infinitive contemnere, perfect active contempsī or contemsī, supine contemptum or contemtum); third conjugation

1. to scorn, despise, show contempt

   Synonyms: āspernor, spernō, detrectō, abiciō, neglegō, trādūcō, cavillor

   • c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca the Younger, Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium 47.10:

     Contemne nunc eius fortūnae hominem in quam trānsīre dum contemnis potes.

     Go ahead: show contempt for a man of this fortune — into which you [too] could be transformed! — even as you despise [him].
     (Seneca reminds arrogant slave-masters of a fact of life in the ancient world: even freeborn people of high social status could become enslaved due to dire circumstances.)

2. to disparage, consider a person or thing as unimportant or of small value; to disregard, think little of

   Synonyms: dēprimō, dētrectō, premō

3. to humble

   Synonyms: abiciō, dēprimō

Conjugation

   Conjugation of contemnō (third conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	contemnō		contemnis		contemnit		contemnimus		contemnitis		contemnunt
	imperfect	contemnēbam		contemnēbās		contemnēbat		contemnēbāmus		contemnēbātis		contemnēbant
	future	contemnam		contemnēs		contemnet		contemnēmus		contemnētis		contemnent
	perfect	contempsī, contemsī		contempsistī, contemsistī		contempsit, contemsit		contempsimus, contemsimus		contempsistis, contemsistis		contempsērunt, contempsēre, contemsērunt, contemsēre
	pluperfect	contempseram, contemseram		contempserās, contemserās		contempserat, contemserat		contempserāmus, contemserāmus		contempserātis, contemserātis		contempserant, contemserant
	future perfect	contempserō, contemserō		contempseris, contemseris		contempserit, contemserit		contempserimus, contemserimus		contempseritis, contemseritis		contempserint, contemserint
passive	present	contemnor		contemneris, contemnere		contemnitur		contemnimur		contemniminī		contemnuntur
	imperfect	contemnēbar		contemnēbāris, contemnēbāre		contemnēbātur		contemnēbāmur		contemnēbāminī		contemnēbantur
	future	contemnar		contemnēris, contemnēre		contemnētur		contemnēmur		contemnēminī		contemnentur
	perfect	contemptus or contemtus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	contemptus or contemtus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	contemptus or contemtus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	contemnam		contemnās		contemnat		contemnāmus		contemnātis		contemnant
	imperfect	contemnerem		contemnerēs		contemneret		contemnerēmus		contemnerētis		contemnerent
	perfect	contempserim, contemserim		contempserīs, contemserīs		contempserit, contemserit		contempserīmus, contemserīmus		contempserītis, contemserītis		contempserint, contemserint
	pluperfect	contempsissem, contemsissem		contempsissēs, contemsissēs		contempsisset, contemsisset		contempsissēmus, contemsissēmus		contempsissētis, contemsissētis		contempsissent, contemsissent
passive	present	contemnar		contemnāris, contemnāre		contemnātur		contemnāmur		contemnāminī		contemnantur
	imperfect	contemnerer		contemnerēris, contemnerēre		contemnerētur		contemnerēmur		contemnerēminī		contemnerentur
	perfect	contemptus or contemtus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	contemptus or contemtus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		contemne		—		—		contemnite		—
	future	—		contemnitō		contemnitō		—		contemnitōte		contemnuntō
passive	present	—		contemnere		—		—		contemniminī		—
	future	—		contemnitor		contemnitor		—		—		contemnuntor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		contemnere			contemnī			contemnēns			—
future		contemptūrum esse, contemtūrum esse			contemptum īrī, contemtum īrī			contemptūrus, contemtūrus			contemnendus, contemnundus
perfect		contempsisse, contemsisse			contemptum esse, contemtum esse			—			contemptus, contemtus
future perfect		—			contemptum fore, contemtum fore			—			—
perfect potential		contemptūrum fuisse, contemtūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		contemnendī		contemnendō		contemnendum		contemnendō		contemptum, contemtum		contemptū, contemtū

Derived terms

• contemptiō
• contemptor
• contemptrīx
• contemptus
• contumāx
• contumēlia

Descendants

• English: contemn
• Italian: contennere
• Middle French: contemner
  • French: contemner

References

• “contemno”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “contemno”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “contemno”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 609-610