Orgulous

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɔːɡjʊləs/

Definitions

1. Excessively proud or haughty in manner and bearing
2. Displaying an overconfident or arrogant attitude that shows a lofty sense of one's own importance
3. Exhibiting an attitude of superiority and self-importance that tends to look down on others

Etymology: Orgulous is a rare, somewhat archaic adjective, and its family tree runs through Germanic and French rather than Latin or Greek. It came into Middle English as "orgeilous" and "orgulous," borrowed from Old French "orgueilleus," meaning "proud," which was built on "orgueil," or "pride." That French noun traces back to the Germanic word "urgol" (pride), spoken by early Dutch-speaking peoples, and it has cousins in Old High German and Old English, where "orgol" also meant pride. The Germanic roots are uncertain, but one proposed analysis splits the word into "ur-" or "or-," meaning "out," and a second element related to Old English "gal" or "gōl," a word for boasting or showy display, which shares a root with "galan," "to sing," the source of modern English "gale." On this reading, the original sense was something like outward show or ostentation, which the Romance languages later absorbed into their own words for pride, such as Italian "orgoglio" and Spanish "orgullo."