Harsh, insulting, or disrespectful language or treatment that humiliates or offends someone.
From Latin 'contumelia' (insult, abuse, shame), possibly from 'contumax' (stubborn). Plural of 'contumely', used since medieval times to describe severe verbal abuse.
Shakespeare famously used 'contumelies' in Hamlet's 'To Be or Not to Be' soliloquy when describing the insults and scorn of life—it's the ultimate Shakespearean put-down word!
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