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Derision

 - 3 dictionary results

de⋅ri⋅sion

  [di-rizh-uhn]
Use Derision in a Sentence
–noun
1. ridicule; mockery: The inept performance elicited derision from the audience.
2. an object of ridicule.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME derisioun < OF derision < LL dērīsiōn- (s. of dērīsiō), equiv. to L dērīs(us) mocked (ptp. of dērīdēre; see deride ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms:
de⋅ris⋅i⋅ble  [di-riz-uh-buhl] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Derision
de·ri·sion   (dĭ-rĭzh'ən)   
n.  

    1. Contemptuous or jeering laughter; ridicule.

    2. A state of being derided: The proposal was held in derision by members of the board.

  2. An object of ridicule; a laughingstock.


[Middle English derisioun, from Anglo-Norman, from Late Latin dērīsiō, dērīsiōn-, from Latin dērīsus, past participle of dērīdēre, to deride; see deride.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

derision 
c.1400, from O.Fr. derision (13c.), from L. derisionem, noun of action from deridere "ridicule," from de- "down" + ridere "to laugh." Deride is 1530, from M.Fr. derider.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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