deign
To consider it appropriate or worthy to do or give (something), often when it is seen as beneath one's dignity; to condescend, to vouchsafe.
Verb
- To consider it appropriate or worthy to do or give (something), often when it is seen as beneath one's dignity; to condescend, to vouchsafe.
- Nor vvould vve deigne him buriall of his men, / Till he diſburſed, at Saint Colmes ynch, / Ten thouſand Dollars, to our generall vſe. - c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr....
- [T]hough this my vvorke, ovvne not vvorth enough to deſerve your patronage, yet ſuch is your benigne humanity, that I am confident you vvill daigne it your protection, under vvhich it vvillingly ſhrovvdes it ſelfe. -...
- And sure a willing ear she well might deign / To one whose tales may equally engage / The wondering mind of youth, the thoughtful heart of age. - 1825, Robert Southey, “Canto III”, in A Tale of Paraguay, London: […]...
- To consider it appropriate or worthy to accept or take (something).
- Shee deignes not my good will, but doth reprove / And of my rurall muſick holdeth ſcorne. - 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “Ianuarye. Ægloga Prima.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh...
- Go, go, be gone, to ſaue your Ship from vvrack, / VVhich cannot periſh hauing thee aboarde, / Being deſtin’d to a drier death on ſhore: / I muſt goe ſend ſome better Meſſenger, / I fear my Iulia vvould not daigne my...
- Thou haſt eſtrang'd thy ſelf, and deigneſt not our land: / Farre off to others novv, thy fauour honour breeds, / And high diſdaine doth cauſe thee ſhun our clime (I feare) […] - 1595, Ed. Spencer [i.e., Edmund Spenser],...
Antonyms: disdain
- Often followed by of: to consider (someone) as worthy of something; to dignify.
- VVill you not daigne his Majeſty vvith an Anſvver? - 1591 (date written), [Daniel Defoe], “Part II. Of the Church in Her Growing State.. Addenda. Here Follows Some Original Papers and Accounts of Things, which are...
- To consider it appropriate or worthy to do something, often when it is seen as beneath one's dignity; to condescend, to think fit, to vouchsafe.
- He didn’t even deign to give us a nod of the head; he thought us that far beneath him.
- For Edvvard vvill defeind the Tovvne, and thee, / And all thoſe friends, that deine to follovv mee. - c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William...
- My fathers Palace, Madam, vvill be proud / To entertaine your preſence, if youle daine / To make repoſe vvithin. - c. 1599 (date written), I. M. [i.e., John Marston], The History of Antonio and Mellida. The First Part....
Origin
From Middle English deinen, deynen (“to consider (something) suitable to one’s dignity or worth, condescend; to appear worthy; to condescend to grant (something), permit, vouchsafe; to regard (someone) as worthy; to consecrate, dedicate (something)”), from Old French daigner, degnier, deigner, deignier (“to condescend, deign”) (modern French daigner), from Latin dignāre, the present active infinitive of dignō (“to deem fitting, suitable, or worthy; to condescend, deign”), from dignus (“fitting, suitable, worthy; worthy of”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- (“to perceive; to take”)) + -ō (suffix forming first-conjugation verbs). cognates * Italian degnare * Occitan deinar, denhar
Forms
deigns deigning deigned no-table-tags glossary deign deignest deignedst deigneth -