contemno

Latin

Alternative forms

  • contempnō

Etymology

Uncertain. By surface analysis, con- +‎ temnō. De Vaan argues that the verb temnō is likely a back-formation from contemnō, as contemnō has much older attestation. Regardless, the term likely derives from a nasal-infix verb from *temh₁-.

Pronunciation

Verb

contemnō (present infinitive contemnere, perfect active contempsī or contemsī, supine contemptum or contemtum); third conjugation

  1. to scorn, despise, show contempt
    Synonyms: āspernor, spernō, detrectō, abiciō, neglegō, trādūcō, cavillor
    • c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca the Younger, Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium 47.10:
      Contemne nunc eius fortūnae hominem in quam trānsīre dum contemnis potes.
      Go ahead: show contempt for a man of this fortune — into which you [too] could be transformed! — even as you despise [him].
      (Seneca reminds arrogant slave-masters of a fact of life in the ancient world: even freeborn people of high social status could become enslaved due to dire circumstances.)
  2. to disparage, consider a person or thing as unimportant or of small value; to disregard, think little of
    Synonyms: dēprimō, dētrectō, premō
  3. to humble
    Synonyms: abiciō, dēprimō

Conjugation

   Conjugation of contemnō (third conjugation)
indicative singular plural
first second third first second third
active present contemnō contemnis contemnit contemnimus contemnitis contemnunt
imperfect contemnēbam contemnēbās contemnēbat contemnēbāmus contemnēbātis contemnēbant
future contemnam contemnēs contemnet contemnēmus contemnētis contemnent
perfect contempsī,
contemsī 		contempsistī,
contemsistī 		contempsit,
contemsit 		contempsimus,
contemsimus 		contempsistis,
contemsistis 		contempsērunt,
contempsēre,
contemsērunt,
contemsēre
pluperfect contempseram,
contemseram 		contempserās,
contemserās 		contempserat,
contemserat 		contempserāmus,
contemserāmus 		contempserātis,
contemserātis 		contempserant,
contemserant
future perfect contempserō,
contemserō 		contempseris,
contemseris 		contempserit,
contemserit 		contempserimus,
contemserimus 		contempseritis,
contemseritis 		contempserint,
contemserint
passive present contemnor contemneris,
contemnere 		contemnitur contemnimur contemniminī contemnuntur
imperfect contemnēbar contemnēbāris,
contemnēbāre 		contemnēbātur contemnēbāmur contemnēbāminī contemnēbantur
future contemnar contemnēris,
contemnēre 		contemnētur contemnēmur contemnēminī contemnentur
perfect contemptus or contemtus + present active indicative of sum
pluperfect contemptus or contemtus + imperfect active indicative of sum
future perfect contemptus or contemtus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive singular plural
first second third first second third
active present contemnam contemnās contemnat contemnāmus contemnātis contemnant
imperfect contemnerem contemnerēs contemneret contemnerēmus contemnerētis contemnerent
perfect contempserim,
contemserim 		contempserīs,
contemserīs 		contempserit,
contemserit 		contempserīmus,
contemserīmus 		contempserītis,
contemserītis 		contempserint,
contemserint
pluperfect contempsissem,
contemsissem 		contempsissēs,
contemsissēs 		contempsisset,
contemsisset 		contempsissēmus,
contemsissēmus 		contempsissētis,
contemsissētis 		contempsissent,
contemsissent
passive present contemnar contemnāris,
contemnāre 		contemnātur contemnāmur contemnāminī contemnantur
imperfect contemnerer contemnerēris,
contemnerēre 		contemnerētur contemnerēmur contemnerēminī contemnerentur
perfect contemptus or contemtus + present active subjunctive of sum
pluperfect contemptus or contemtus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative singular plural
first second third first second third
active present — contemne — — contemnite —
future — contemnitō contemnitō — contemnitōte contemnuntō
passive present — contemnere — — contemniminī —
future — contemnitor contemnitor — — contemnuntor
non-finite forms infinitive participle
active passive active passive
present contemnere contemnī contemnēns —
future contemptūrum esse,
contemtūrum esse 		contemptum īrī,
contemtum īrī 		contemptūrus,
contemtūrus 		contemnendus,
contemnundus
perfect contempsisse,
contemsisse 		contemptum esse,
contemtum esse 		— contemptus,
contemtus
future perfect — contemptum fore,
contemtum fore 		— —
perfect potential contemptūrum fuisse,
contemtūrum fuisse 		— — —
verbal nouns gerund supine
genitive dative accusative ablative accusative ablative
contemnendī contemnendō contemnendum contemnendō contemptum,
contemtum 		contemptū,
contemtū

Derived terms

Descendants

  • English: contemn, contempt

References

  • “contemno”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “contemno”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • “contemno”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 609-610
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