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The semantic notion of “in defiance of” feels unrelated to “notwithstanding”! What underlies or relates these semantic notions? This question appertains to all languages that founds this conjuncti...
Question
etymology
#3: Post edited
by
PSTH
·
2022-02-21T21:07:56Z (over 2 years ago)
How does the notion of “in defiance of” signify “notwithstanding”?
- How does the semantic notion of “in defiance of” signify “notwithstanding”?
- This question appertains to all languages that founds this conjunction on the Latin *despectus* e.g. French *en dépit de*, Italian *a dispetto di*, Spanish *a despecho de*, and Portuguese *a despeito de*. Don't hesitate to edit this post to add to this list.
- >### spite [13]
- >
- >*Spite* was adapted from Old French
- *despit* ‘scorn, ill will’, which was also borrowed
- intact as *despite* [13]. This came from Latin
- *dēspectus*, the past participle of *dēspicere* ‘look
- down on’ (source of English despise [13]),
- which was a compound verb formed from the
- prefix d*ē-* ‘down’ and *specere* ‘look’ (source of
- English *spectacle, spy*, etc). The use of *in spite of*
- and *despite* for ‘notwithstanding’ goes back **via
- an intermediate ‘in defiance of’ to an original ‘in
- contempt of’**.
- *Word Origins* (2005 2e) by John Ayto. p 473 Left column.
- The semantic notion of “in defiance of” feels unrelated to “notwithstanding”! What underlies or relates these semantic notions?
- This question appertains to all languages that founds this conjunction on the Latin *despectus* e.g. French *en dépit de*, Italian *a dispetto di*, Spanish *a despecho de*, and Portuguese *a despeito de*. Don't hesitate to edit this post to add to this list.
- >### spite [13]
- >
- >*Spite* was adapted from Old French
- *despit* ‘scorn, ill will’, which was also borrowed
- intact as *despite* [13]. This came from Latin
- *dēspectus*, the past participle of *dēspicere* ‘look
- down on’ (source of English despise [13]),
- which was a compound verb formed from the
- prefix d*ē-* ‘down’ and *specere* ‘look’ (source of
- English *spectacle, spy*, etc). The use of *in spite of*
- and *despite* for ‘notwithstanding’ goes back **via
- an intermediate ‘in defiance of’ to an original ‘in
- contempt of’**.
- *Word Origins* (2005 2e) by John Ayto. p 473 Left column.
#2: Post edited
by
PSTH
·
2022-02-21T20:56:34Z (over 2 years ago)
- This question appertains to all languages that founds this conjunction on the Latin *despectus* e.g. French *en dépit de*, Italian *a dispetto di*, Spanish *a despecho de*, and Portuguese *a despeito de*. Don't hesitate to edit this post to add to this list.
- >### spite [13]
- >*Spite* was adapted from Old French
- *despit* ‘scorn, ill will’, which was also borrowed
- intact as *despite* [13]. This came from Latin
- *dēspectus*, the past participle of *dēspicere* ‘look
- down on’ (source of English despise [13]),
- which was a compound verb formed from the
- prefix d*ē-* ‘down’ and *specere* ‘look’ (source of
- English *spectacle, spy*, etc). The use of *in spite of*
- and *despite* for ‘notwithstanding’ goes back **via
- an intermediate ‘in defiance of’ to an original ‘in
- contempt of’**.
- *Word Origins* (2005 2e) by John Ayto. p 473 Left column.
- This question appertains to all languages that founds this conjunction on the Latin *despectus* e.g. French *en dépit de*, Italian *a dispetto di*, Spanish *a despecho de*, and Portuguese *a despeito de*. Don't hesitate to edit this post to add to this list.
- >### spite [13]
- >
- >*Spite* was adapted from Old French
- *despit* ‘scorn, ill will’, which was also borrowed
- intact as *despite* [13]. This came from Latin
- *dēspectus*, the past participle of *dēspicere* ‘look
- down on’ (source of English despise [13]),
- which was a compound verb formed from the
- prefix d*ē-* ‘down’ and *specere* ‘look’ (source of
- English *spectacle, spy*, etc). The use of *in spite of*
- and *despite* for ‘notwithstanding’ goes back **via
- an intermediate ‘in defiance of’ to an original ‘in
- contempt of’**.
- *Word Origins* (2005 2e) by John Ayto. p 473 Left column.
#1: Initial revision
by
PSTH
·
2021-03-20T02:11:41Z (over 3 years ago)
How does the notion of “in defiance of” signify “notwithstanding”?
This question appertains to all languages that founds this conjunction on the Latin *despectus* e.g. French *en dépit de*, Italian *a dispetto di*, Spanish *a despecho de*, and Portuguese *a despeito de*. Don't hesitate to edit this post to add to this list. >### spite [13] >*Spite* was adapted from Old French *despit* ‘scorn, ill will’, which was also borrowed intact as *despite* [13]. This came from Latin *dēspectus*, the past participle of *dēspicere* ‘look down on’ (source of English despise [13]), which was a compound verb formed from the prefix d*ē-* ‘down’ and *specere* ‘look’ (source of English *spectacle, spy*, etc). The use of *in spite of* and *despite* for ‘notwithstanding’ goes back **via an intermediate ‘in defiance of’ to an original ‘in contempt of’**. *Word Origins* (2005 2e) by John Ayto. p 473 Left column.