Archaic or rare term for the act of looking down on someone or treating them with contempt.
From Latin despicentia (contempt), derived from despicere (to look down on), from de- (down) + specere (to look), + -ency (noun suffix).
This extremely rare word preserves the original Latin meaning about literally 'looking down'—it's the missing link showing how contempt originally related to physical perspective and social hierarchy.
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