Definition of the word contempt

The origin of the word "contempt" can be traced back to the Old French word "contempe," which meant "to despise" or "to disdain." The word "contempe" itself can be traced back to the Latin word "contemptus," which meant "a looking down upon" or "despising." The Latin word "contemptus" was derived from the Latin verb "contumere," which meant "to look down upon" or "to slight." The grammatical structure of the Latin verb "contumere" can be analyzed as "con" (with), "tumere" (to swell or inflate), and "re" (against), which collectively had a meaning of "to look down upon" or "to slight." Hence, "contemptus" (despising) was derived from this verb "contumere." The French word "contempe" made its way into Middle English through the Norman Conquest in the 11th century, and eventually evolved into the modern English word "contempt."