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SPITE

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 11:22 pm
by misterdoe
Sounds Anglo-Saxon but I wouldn't be surprised if it's not... :?

Re: SPITE

Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 1:52 pm
by Perry Lassiter
Origin:
Middle English: shortening of Old French despit 'contempt', despiter 'show contempt for'
From online OED.

Re: SPITE

Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 5:02 pm
by Slava
Is there a difference between "in spite of" and "despite"? If so, what is it? I think there is, but can't define it.

Re: SPITE

Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 9:44 pm
by gailr
hmmmmm:

Despite ---> de [Do or make the opposite of; reverse] + spite

In spite of ---> in [not, lacking, or the opposite of] + spite + of [an enormous list of possible meanings]

no, that method doesn't work. :wink:

Re: SPITE

Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 1:20 am
by Perry Lassiter
In spite of seems stronger than despite. But not by much.

Re: SPITE

Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 10:38 pm
by Philip Hudson
A casual glance at a number of dictionaries shows that despite and in spite of mean the same thing.

Re: SPITE

Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 8:11 pm
by misterdoe
Basically it's just a matter of style.

Re: SPITE

Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 3:46 pm
by Philip Hudson
Spite is a Germanic word and is present in many Germanic languages. It was dispit in Middle English. Shipley does put "spite" in a list of words from the PIE root "spek", which basically and obviously means "to see". I am not sure why he does this. It seems unlikely to me.

Re: SPITE

Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 4:30 pm
by Audiendus
Shipley does put "spite" in a list of words from the PIE root "spek", which basically and obviously means "to see". I am not sure why he does this. It seems unlikely to me.
Etymonline states that "despite" is derived (via Old French) from Latin despectus, "a looking down on". That seems a possible link to "spek" and "to see".

Re: SPITE

Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 1:50 am
by Philip Hudson
Compare Etymonline's entries for spite and for despite. Something seems out of synch here. They can't both be right can they?

Re: SPITE

Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 7:32 am
by Audiendus
Does this entry from Wiktionary help? It derives the Dutch spijt from Old French despit, which comes from Latin despectus.

It seems likely that all the "Germanic" sources of spite can be traced back to the Latin. See also my new thread (in the Etymology forum) about English words derived from Latin via Old English.