despite

prep
/dɪˈspaɪt/UK

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English despit, dispit, from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectum (“looking down on”), from dēspiciō (“to look down, despise”). The preposition is derived from Middle English dispit, itself derived from the phrase in dispit of (in despite of). Compare typologically Russian несмотря́ на (nesmotrjá na) (< смотре́ть (smotrétʹ)); невзира́я на (nevzirája na) (< взира́ть (vzirátʹ)), презре́в (prezrév) (< презре́ть (prezrétʹ) <~ зреть (zretʹ)) (compare despite—despise relation).

  1. inherited from dispit
  2. derived from dēspectum
  3. derived from despit
  4. inherited from despit

Definitions

  1. In spite of, not with standing.

    • Despite being a near-mirror image my of right, my left hand is terrible at these stuff.
    • So thou through windowes of thine age ſhalt ſee, Diſpight of wrinkles this thy goulden time.
    • Yet doe thy worſt old Time diſpight thy wrong, My loue ſhall in my verſe euer liue young.
  2. Disdain, contemptuous feelings, hatred.

    • A fals double tunge is more fiers and fell Then Cerberus the cur couching in the kenel of hel; Wherof hereafter, I thinke for to write,
    • Thou waſt euer an obſtinate heretique in the deſpight of Beautie.
    • all thy despite against the land of Israel
  3. Action or behaviour displaying such feelings

    Action or behaviour displaying such feelings; an outrage, insult.

    • a deſpite done againſt the Moſt High
  4. + 2 more definitions
    1. Evil feeling

      Evil feeling; malice, spite, annoyance.

      • And for these Corcyraeans—neither receive them into alliance in our despite, nor be their abettors in crime.
    2. To vex

      To vex; to annoy; to offend contemptuously.

      • to despite his opposites

The neighborhood

Derived

despiteful

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at despite. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01despite02hatred03aversion04repugnance05inconsistency06cannot07unable08ability09necessary10compulsion

A definitional loop anchored at despite. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

10 hops · closes at despite

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA