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despite

Pronunciation: /dɪˈspaɪt/

The English word “despite” has 5 meanings listed here.

preposition

  1. In spite of, notwithstanding.

noun

  1. Disdain, contemptuous feelings, hatred.
  2. Action or behaviour displaying such feelings; an outrage, insult.
  3. Evil feeling; malice, spite, annoyance.

verb

  1. To vex; to annoy; to offend contemptuously.

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English despit, dispit, from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectum (“looking down on”), from dēspiciō (“to look down, despise”). The preposition is derived from Middle English dispit, itself derived from the phrase in dispit of (in despite of). Compare typologically Russian несмотря́ на (nesmotrjá na) (< смотре́ть (smotrétʹ)); невзира́я на (nevzirája na) (<…

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