despicable
/ˈdɛspɪkəbəl/
adjective
Origin
Latin
despicabilis — worthy of contempt
Overview
Meaning Now
- Deserving of hatred and contempt; vile or morally reprehensible.
Literal older meaning
worthy of being looked down upon
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
despicable
Earliest period
16th century
Journey
The word is rooted in the Latin 'despicere', which literally means 'to look down on' (de- + specere). This sense of looking down on someone physically evolved into the metaphorical meaning of holding someone in contempt or viewing them as socially or morally inferior.
Evolution
- Latin
despicere
“to look down upon, to despise”
From de- (down) + specere (to look)
- Late Latin
despicabilis
“despicable, contemptible”
- Middle English / Early Modern English
despicable
“deserving of contempt”
Borrowed into English in the mid-1500s
Connections
Word parts
de-
prefix
down
spec
root
to look
-able
suffix
capable of being
Related across languages
French
méprisable
despicable
Spanish
despreciable
despicable
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.