spite

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A desire to hurt, annoy, or upset someone out of ill will.

   He hid her keys out of pure spite.

2. 2
   verb

   To deliberately annoy or hurt someone.

   She married again quickly, just to spite her ex-husband.

From Middle English spit, a shortening of despit (whence despite), from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectum (“looking down on”), from Latin dēspiciō (“to look down, despise”). Compare also North Frisian spīt, spīd (“regret”), Saterland Frisian Spiet (“regret, remorse”), West Frisian spyt (“regret”), Dutch spijt (“regret, remorse”), German Low German Spiet (“anger, regret, remorse”), German Spiet (“annoyance, vexation”), Swedish spit (“insult, outrage, annoyance”), Norwegian spit (“insult, outrage, annoyance”).

Topics