Despite means without being stopped or affected by something. It introduces a fact that makes a result surprising or unlikely.
From Old French "despit" meaning "contempt" or "scorn," from Latin "despectus" (a looking down on). The meaning softened over time in English to introduce a contrast rather than active contempt.
Despite used to carry the sense of almost defying something you look down on. Today it quietly does heavy work in sentences, signaling, "This result happened even though the conditions were against it."
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.