DISDAIN

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DISDAIN

Postby Dr. Goodword » Mon Sep 01, 2008 11:27 pm

• disdain •

Pronunciation: dis-daynHear it!

Part of Speech: Verb, transitive

Meaning: 1. To reject as unworthy, contemptuous. 2. To regard with contempt, to consider beneath one's dignity.

Notes: Today's Good Word is often confused with several other words beginning with dis-. People disdain things. To disdain something is to hold it beneath contempt, consider it beneath our dignity. Things dismay and disgust people. Things that dismay disillusion or alarm us. Things that disgust us are so repugnant as to nauseate or deeply offend us. The adjective for today's word is disdainful. The nouns disdain and disdainfulness are near synonyms.

In Play: Holding something in contempt is disdain: "Harvey Mugwump disdains all things political and finds that life without politics works pretty well." This word also implies a rejection of anything beneath our dignity: "Izzy Allgood disdains any work that is incompatible with his high moral principles, which is pretty much any work at all."

Word History: Today's Good Word was adopted and adapted from Old French desdeignier. This word was inherited from Latin dedignari "to disdain", based on de "(away) from" + dignari "to dignify, deem worthy". Dignari comes from the adjective dignus "worthy". Its root shares a source with decere "to be fitting", the verb underlying decor "seemliness, grace, elegance" and decorum "seemliness, propriety", both used pretty much as is in English. (Today's Good Word resulted from a suggestion by Paul Rowland of Wallasey, England, whose daughter still disdains the "posh" Good Words he tries to share with her.)
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Slava
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Postby Slava » Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:07 pm

I wonder what level of disdain has led to deign not getting onto our word list? It's been suggested, but the Dr. has not deigned to take it up as yet.

Let's hope that is soon remedied.
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Postby Stargzer » Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:12 pm

No one of your ilk has ever deigned to suggest such a thing.
Regards//Larry

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Slava
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Postby Slava » Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:15 pm

Oh no! I've been reduced to an ilk.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

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Postby Stargzer » Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:16 pm

I thought it a kind thing ...
Regards//Larry

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee

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Slava
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Postby Slava » Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:23 pm

I thought it a kind thing ...
I've always felt it had rather pejorative connotations.

See sardith's query: http://www.alphadictionary.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4485 and Bailey's much older post: http://www.alphadictionary.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2922

By the by, this is yet another great word that the Lords of the Agora have not stooped to conquer and put in the alphaDictionary dictionary.


The cow is of the bovine ilk; One end is moo, the other, milk. (Ogden Nash)
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

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Postby Perry » Wed Aug 25, 2010 2:00 pm

I wonder what level of disdain has led to deign not getting onto our word list? It's been suggested, but the Dr. has not deigned to take it up as yet.

Let's hope that is soon remedied.
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Postby Slava » Wed Aug 25, 2010 2:05 pm

I don't suppose I should dignify that with a response, but I can be condescending and lower myself. Good Dog!
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

Stargzer
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Postby Stargzer » Thu Aug 26, 2010 10:43 pm

I thought it [ilk] a kind thing ...
I've always felt it had rather pejorative connotations.
...
The cow is of the bovine ilk; One end is moo, the other, milk. (Ogden Nash)
The Nash quote, by contrast, is a kine thing ...
Regards//Larry

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee


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