Pryde

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for an excessive, arrogant opinion of oneself ; the state of being at one's most magnificent or flourishing
2. Old-fashioned word for haughty conceit about oneself ; the peak of splendor or excellence in something
3. A haughty, self-important attitude, as found in older English writing ; the most splendid or flourishing condition of a person or thing

Etymology: Pryde is simply an older spelling of "pride," so the word's story is really the story of pride itself. Its Old English form, "prȳde," was built from "prūd," meaning "proud," with a noun-making ending added on, so the noun grew out of the adjective rather than the other way round. Old Norse "prýði," meaning "bravery" or "pomp," shows the same pattern and suggests the two languages were drawing on a shared stock of meanings. The most surprising twist is that the word had a second, unrelated ancestor. Middle English also took "pryde" from Middle Low German "lampride," which came from Medieval Latin "lampreda," the name of the lamprey, a jawed eel-like fish. The two streams merged in English, so the same spelling covered both the fish and the feeling, a coincidence that the modern word "pride" has since lost.