SPITE
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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Re: SPITE
Origin:
Middle English: shortening of Old French despit 'contempt', despiter 'show contempt for'
From online OED.
Middle English: shortening of Old French despit 'contempt', despiter 'show contempt for'
From online OED.
pl
- Slava
- Great Grand Panjandrum
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Re: SPITE
Is there a difference between "in spite of" and "despite"? If so, what is it? I think there is, but can't define it.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.
Re: SPITE
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.
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.
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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Re: SPITE
A casual glance at a number of dictionaries shows that despite and in spite of mean the same thing.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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Re: SPITE
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.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.
Re: SPITE
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".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.
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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Re: SPITE
Compare Etymonline's entries for spite and for despite. Something seems out of synch here. They can't both be right can they?
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.
Re: SPITE
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.
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.
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