spite

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   Ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the desire to unjustifiably irritate, annoy, or thwart; a want to disturb or put out another; mild malice

   He was so filled with spite for his ex-wife, his brother was afraid of what he might do.

2. 2
   noun

   Vexation; chagrin; mortification.

   "The time is out of joint: O cursed spite."

3. 3
   verb

   To treat maliciously; to try to hurt or thwart.

   She soon married again, to spite her ex-husband.

4. 4
   verb

   To be angry at; to hate.

   The Danes, then […] pagans, principally spited places of religion.

5. 5
   verb

   To fill with spite; to offend; to vex.

   But the laſt and fatal Blow, given to that antient Learning, was in the time of Darius, Father of Xerxes, who with the reſt of the Perſians, ſpighted at the Magi, upon the Uſurpation of the Crown by one of their Number, (that counterfeited a younger Son of Cyrus after the Death of Cambyſes,) when he came to be ſetled in that Throne, endeavour'd to aboliſh, not only their Learning and Credit, but their Language too, by changing the old Aſſyrian Characters, and introducing thoſe of Perſia, which grew to be the common Uſe of that whole Empire.

6. 6
   noun

   malevolence by virtue of being malicious or spiteful or nasty

7. 7
   noun

   feeling a need to see others suffer

8. 8
   verb

   hurt the feelings of

Etymology

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”).