deign

[deyn]

See more synonyms for deign on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to think fit or in accordance with one's dignity; condescend: He would not deign to discuss the matter with us.

verb (used with object)

to condescend to give or grant: He deigned no reply.
Obsolete. to condescend to accept.

Origin of deign

1250–1300; Middle English deinen < Old French deignier < Latin dignārī to judge worthy, equivalent to dign(us) worthy + -ārī infinitive suffix

Can be confuseddeign dine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for deign

stoop, consent, condescend, vouchsafe, patronize

Examples from the Web for deign

Contemporary Examples of deign

Should we be grateful for whatever music they deign to release and grade them on a curve because of it?
‘High Hopes’ Review: Bruce Springsteen Lowers the Bar
Andrew Romano
January 7, 2014

Historical Examples of deign

General Wotherspoon did not deign to reply, but walked away.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
Mrs. Beasley, whether she heard or not, did not deign to reply.
Cy Whittaker's Place
Joseph C. Lincoln
She would not ask questions or deign to appear excited, not she.
The Rise of Roscoe Paine
Joseph C. Lincoln
I think he had not thought of the anchor, but he did not deign to explain.
The Rise of Roscoe Paine
Joseph C. Lincoln
Victor, whose foot was on the step of the car, did not deign to turn.
The Rise of Roscoe Paine
Joseph C. Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for deign

deign

verb

(intr) to think it fit or worthy of oneself (to do something); condescendhe will not deign to speak to us
(tr) archaic to vouchsafehe deigned no reply

Word Origin for deign

C13: from Old French deignier, from Latin dignārī to consider worthy, from dignus worthy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for deign

c.1300, from Old French deignier (Modern French daigner), from Latin dignari "to deem worthy or fit" (source of Italian degnare, Spanish deñar), from dignus "worthy" (see dignity). Sense of "take or accept graciously" led to that of "condescend" (1580s). Related: Deigned; deigning.