"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."
Showing posts with label depreciate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depreciate. Show all posts

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.