"That's a great deal to make one word mean," Alice said in a thoughtful tone. "When I make a word do a lot of work like that," said Humpty Dumpty, "I always pay it extra."

Friday, 9 March 2012

Vilipend

   
To vilipend means to regard or treat as of little value or account; to vilify; or to deprecate, to belittle.

I saw one website which suggested it meant to depreciate rather than to deprecate. Oops, I thought. Until I looked up depreciate in the dictionary and found it not only meant to diminish in value over a period of time but it also meant to belittle. I had never previously realised that to depreciate could mean to disparage.
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2 comments:

  1. DawnTreader9 March 2012 at 08:58

    And oops, I'm thinking, because depreciate is the only of these words (except belittle) I feel familiar with, even in the sense that surprised you. (On the other hand - I might just have been assuming.)

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  2. Marcheline10 March 2012 at 17:33

    Vilipend.... it sounds like a lawsuit against a many-legged insect!

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