SPITE

Use this forum to suggest Good Words for Professor Beard.
misterdoe
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SPITE

Postby misterdoe » Wed May 22, 2013 11:22 pm

Sounds Anglo-Saxon but I wouldn't be surprised if it's not... :?

Perry Lassiter
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Re: SPITE

Postby Perry Lassiter » Fri May 24, 2013 1:52 pm

Origin:
Middle English: shortening of Old French despit 'contempt', despiter 'show contempt for'
From online OED.
pl

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Slava
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Re: SPITE

Postby Slava » Fri May 24, 2013 5:02 pm

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.

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gailr
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Re: SPITE

Postby gailr » Fri May 24, 2013 9:44 pm

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:

Perry Lassiter
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Re: SPITE

Postby Perry Lassiter » Sat May 25, 2013 1:20 am

In spite of seems stronger than despite. But not by much.
pl

Philip Hudson
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Re: SPITE

Postby Philip Hudson » Sat May 25, 2013 10:38 pm

A casual glance at a number of dictionaries shows that despite and in spite of mean the same thing.
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Re: SPITE

Postby misterdoe » Mon May 27, 2013 8:11 pm

Basically it's just a matter of style.

Philip Hudson
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Re: SPITE

Postby Philip Hudson » Sat Jun 01, 2013 3:46 pm

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.

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Re: SPITE

Postby Audiendus » Sat Jun 01, 2013 4:30 pm

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".

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Re: SPITE

Postby Philip Hudson » Sun Jun 02, 2013 1:50 am

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.

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Re: SPITE

Postby Audiendus » Sun Jun 02, 2013 7:32 am

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.


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