Despectus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A viewing or looking down from a height; a perspective or outlook on a situation; an act of observation or inspection from above
2. The act of surveying or considering from a higher vantage point; a particular viewpoint or assessment; the action of examining or scrutinizing from an elevated position
3. Observing or contemplating from an elevated place; a mental or visual standpoint or analysis; the process of noticing or reviewing attentively from above

Etymology: "Despectus" is the Latin noun for a looking down, or a view from above, such as the prospect from a hilltop or tower. It comes from "despicere," which combines "de-" (down) with "specere" (to look), the same root behind English "spectacle" and "inspect." The contemptuous sense of "despicere," to look down on someone, developed later within Latin, from the idea of regarding something from above as beneath notice. English "despise" and "despicable" descend from that later sense, reaching English through Old French rather than straight from the classical verb. The noun kept the physical meaning, so it refers to a perspective gained from a height, not to scorn.

Synonyms: contempt, disdain, scorn, derision, disrespect

Antonyms: respect, esteem, admiration, regard, reverence