To regard with contempt or disdain; to look down upon with scorn.
From Latin despicere, formed from de- (down, away) + specere (to look), literally meaning 'to look down upon.' The word passed through Old French despire into Middle English despisen, eventually becoming Modern English despise.
Did you know 'despise' and 'respect' are etymological opposites? While 'despise' means to look DOWN upon someone, 'respect' comes from re- + specere, meaning to look BACK at or regard again with consideration. Both words show how our ancestors understood that looking and social judgment were intimately connected!
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