To express contempt for; to laugh at in a scornful or dismissive manner.
From Latin 'deridere,' meaning 'to laugh at scornfully,' from 'de-' (down, away) and 'ridere' (to laugh). The idea is of laughing 'down at' someone from a position of superiority, showing contempt through mockery.
Think 'DE-ride'—like getting off a ride and then laughing at the people still on it! To deride is to laugh AT someone in a mean, mocking way, not WITH them in a friendly way.
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