Despiteous

/dɪˈspaɪʃəs/ adjective

Definition

Archaic form meaning full of contempt, spite, or malice; contemptuous and cruel.

Etymology

From despite + -eous (suffix from French -eux, Latin -osus). This adjective form is now archaic, replaced by despiteful and similar modern terms.

Kelly Says

Despiteous is like finding a fossil in English—it shows an older morphological system where -eous was the standard way to make adjectives from abstract nouns.

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