Scorning

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To treat someone or something with open contempt, signifying disapproval or derision, while also rejecting or dismissing them as inferior or unworthy
2. Showing strong disrespect or contempt toward a person or thing, indicating a lack of value or importance
3. Acting with disdain to convey rejection and low regard for someone or something

Etymology: The verb "scorn" came into Middle English from Old French "escharnir", which likely traces back through Vulgar Latin "escarnire" to a Germanic root. Scholars are divided on that root: it may be linked to a verb meaning "to shear" or "to cut", making scorn originally a kind of cutting or slicing; alternatively it may come from a word for "dung" or "filth", which would make scorn a kind of besmirching. Neither story is certain, but both point to something physical being used to express contempt. The noun is a separate borrowing from Old French "escarn", and the two forms have relatives across Europe, such as Spanish "escarnio" and Italian "scherno". The Germanic side is also visible in Middle High German "schern", meaning "joke" or "mockery", and in Old English "sċierniċġe", which referred to a female entertainer or juggler. That last connection is striking: an English word for a performer once sat alongside words for contempt, suggesting that mockery and public entertainment were closely linked in early Germanic speech.

Synonyms: deriding, mocking

Antonyms: admiring, praising