The act of treating someone or something with scorn and disrespect; showing contempt.
From contemn plus -ing (present participle suffix). The -ing form allows the verb to function as a gerund or progressive aspect marker in sentences.
In older English texts, you'll see 'contemning' used as a moral accusation—it wasn't just disliking something, but actively showing disdain, which was considered a character flaw worthy of condemnation.
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