An archaic term for the act or instance of despising someone or something.
From despise + -ment (French-derived suffix for abstract nouns). This word was more common in Middle and Early Modern English but is now largely obsolete.
Old English had about 15 different words meaning 'the act of despising'—despisement, despisal, despising—which shows how important contempt was as a concept in feudal hierarchies.
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