different between taunt vs contempt

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /t??nt/, enPR: tônt
• (US) IPA^(key): /t?nt/, enPR: tônt
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /t?nt/, enPR: tänt
• Rhymes: -??nt, -??nt

Etymology 1

Middle French tanter (“to tempt, try, provoke”), variant of Old French tempter (“to try”). Doublet of tempt.

Verb

taunt (third-person singular simple present taunts, present participle taunting, simple past and past participle taunted)

1. to make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner.

Translations

Noun

taunt (plural taunts)

1. A scornful or mocking remark; a jeer or mockery

Translations

Etymology 2

Compare Old French tant (“so great”), French tant (“so much”), Latin tantus (“of such size, so great, so much”). See ataunt.

Adjective

taunt (comparative more taunt, superlative most taunt)

1. (obsolete, nautical) Very high or tall.

   a ship with taunt masts

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Totten to this entry?)

References

• taunt at OneLook Dictionary Search
• taunt in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

English

Alternative forms

• c?tempt, cõtempt (obsolete)

Etymology

From Latin contemptus (“scorn”), from contemn? (“I scorn, despise”), from com- + temn? (“I despise”). Displaced native Old English forsewennes.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?n?t?mpt/
• Rhymes: -?mpt

Noun

contempt (countable and uncountable, plural contempts)

1. (uncountable) The state or act of contemning; the feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior, base, or worthless; scorn, disdain.
2. The state of being despised or dishonored; disgrace.
3. (law) Open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority of a court of law or legislative body.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:contempt

Antonyms

• See Thesaurus:contempt

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• contempt in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• contempt in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• contempt at OneLook Dictionary Search