spite
pronunciation
How to pronounce spite in British English:
UK [spaɪt]
How to pronounce spite in American English:
US [spaɪt]
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- Noun:
- feeling a need to see others suffer
- malevolence by virtue of being malicious or spiteful or nasty
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- Verb:
- hurt the feelings of
Word Origin
- spite
- spite: [13] Spite was adapted from Old French despit ‘scorn, ill will’, which was also borrowed intact as despite [13]. This came from Latin dēspectus, the past participle of dēspicere ‘look down on’ (source of English despise [13]), which was a compound verb formed from the prefix dē- ‘down’ and specere ‘look’ (source of English spectacle, spy, etc). The use of in spite of and despite for ‘notwithstanding’ goes back via an intermediate ‘in defiance of’ to an original ‘in contempt of’.=> despise, species, spectator, spy
- spite (n.)
- c. 1300, shortened form of despit "malice" (see despite). Corresponding to Middle Dutch spijt, Middle Low German spyt, Middle Swedish spit. In 17c. commonly spelled spight. Phrase in spite of is recorded from c. 1400, literally "in defiance or contempt of," hence "notwithstanding." Spite-fence "barrier erected to cause annoyance" is from 1889.
- spite (v.)
- c. 1400, "dislike, regard with ill will," from spite (n.). Meaning "treat maliciously" is from 1590s (as in "cut off (one's) nose to spite (one's) face"); earlier "fill with vexation, offend" (1560s). Related: Spited; spiting.
Example
- 1. Ms rojas , who did give birth in captivity , has called the charge " lies and spite " .
- 2. She goes on to explain that the snobbery within britain 's literary establishment at the time meant that many critics felt that keats could not be taken seriously as a poet and reviewed the first two volumes of his work with deliberate spite .
- 3. The israeli government has talked about " dire consequences " if an initiative at the united nations goes forward . But the only negative consequences would be any that israel itself chooses to impose , out of spite , revenge , to make a point or for whatever reason .
- 4. After sarah 's death , montgomery started the slow but deliberate process of change . " I 've changed things around the house not out of spite , but because I think healing is about looking things right in the eye and letting them flow and change , " he says .