despite
[dih-spahyt]
- in spite of; notwithstanding.
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- contemptuous treatment; insult.
- malice, hatred, or spite.
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- Obsolete. to anger or annoy (someone) out of spite.
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- in despite of, in spite of; notwithstanding: He was tolerant in despite of his background and education.
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Origin of despite
1250–1300; orig. in despite of; Middle English despit < Old French < Latin dēspectus view from a height, scorn, equivalent to dēspec-, variant stem of dēspicere (see despicable) + -tus suffix of v. action
Synonyms
See more synonyms for despite on Thesaurus.com1. See notwithstanding.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
despite
- in spite of; undeterred by
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- archaic contempt; insult
- in despite of (preposition) rare in spite of
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- (tr) an archaic word for spite
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Word Origin
C13: from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectus contempt; see despise
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for despites
despite
c.1300, originally a noun, from Old French despit (12c., Modern French dépit), from Latin despectus "a looking down on, scorn, contempt," from past participle of despicere (see despise).
The preposition (early 15c.) is short for in despite of (late 13c.), a loan-translation of Old French en despit de "in contempt of." Almost became despight during 16c. spelling reform.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper