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contumelious

 - 4 dictionary results

con·tu·me·ly

[kon-too-muh-lee, -tyoo-; kuhn-too-muh-lee, -tyoo-; kon-tuhm-lee, -tyoom, -chuhm]
–noun,plural-lies.
1.
insulting display of contempt in words or actions; contemptuous or humiliating treatment.
2.
a humiliating insult.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME contumelie (< AF) < L contumēlia, perh. akin to contumāx (see contumacy), though formation and sense development are unclear

con·tu·me·li·ous [kon-too-mee-lee-uhs, -tyoo-] , adjective
con·tu·me·li·ous·ly, adverb
con·tu·me·li·ous·ness, noun


1. abuse, scorn, disdain, rudeness.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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World English Dictionary
contumely (ˈkɒntjʊmɪlɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -lies
1.  scornful or insulting language or behaviour
2.  a humiliating or scornful insult
 
[C14: from Latin contumēlia invective, from tumēre to swell, as with wrath]
 
contumelious
 
adj
 
contu'meliously
 
adv
 
contu'meliousness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Word Origin & History

contumely
late 14c., from L. contumelia "a reproach, insult," probably from contumax "haughty, stubborn," from com- intensive prefix + tumere "to swell up" (see thigh).

contumelious
late 15c., from Fr. contumélieus, from L. contumeliosus, from contumelia (see contumely).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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