condescender

English

Etymology

From condescend +‎ -er.

Noun

condescender (plural condescenders)

1. One who condescends.
   • 2023, Eleanor Catton, Birnam Wood, page 34:

     It was almost a surprise to remember that he could be proud—that he was proud—of all that he had seen and done abroad, and to feel himself distinguished by the habituated worldliness that since his homecoming had seemed to mark him only as a deserter, a tiresome condescender, and an apostate — not just of his religion, but of his family, of his country, and even, in some impenetrable way, of himself.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin or Late Latin condēscendere, from Latin con- + dēscendō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kondesθenˈdeɾ/ [kõn̪.d̪es.θẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ] (Spain)
• IPA^(key): /kondesenˈdeɾ/ [kõn̪.d̪e.sẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -eɾ
• Syllabification: con‧des‧cen‧der

Verb

condescender (first-person singular present condesciendo, first-person singular preterite condescendí, past participle condescendido)

1. to comply; acquiesce

Conjugation

    Conjugation of condescender (e-ie alternation) (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			condescender
gerund			condescendiendo
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		condescendido		condescendida
		plural		condescendidos		condescendidas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	condesciendo	condesciendestú condescendésvos	condesciende	condescendemos	condescendéis	condescienden
	imperfect	condescendía	condescendías	condescendía	condescendíamos	condescendíais	condescendían
	preterite	condescendí	condescendiste	condescendió	condescendimos	condescendisteis	condescendieron
	future	condescenderé	condescenderás	condescenderá	condescenderemos	condescenderéis	condescenderán
	conditional	condescendería	condescenderías	condescendería	condescenderíamos	condescenderíais	condescenderían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	condescienda	condesciendastú condescendásvos2	condescienda	condescendamos	condescendáis	condesciendan
	imperfect (ra)	condescendiera	condescendieras	condescendiera	condescendiéramos	condescendierais	condescendieran
	imperfect (se)	condescendiese	condescendieses	condescendiese	condescendiésemos	condescendieseis	condescendiesen
	future1	condescendiere	condescendieres	condescendiere	condescendiéremos	condescendiereis	condescendieren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		condesciendetú condescendévos	condescienda	condescendamos	condescended	condesciendan
	negative		no condesciendas	no condescienda	no condescendamos	no condescendáis	no condesciendan

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of condescender (e-ie alternation)

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive condescender	dative	condescenderme	condescenderte	condescenderle, condescenderse	condescendernos	condescenderos	condescenderles, condescenderse
	accusative	condescenderme	condescenderte	condescenderlo, condescenderla, condescenderse	condescendernos	condescenderos	condescenderlos, condescenderlas, condescenderse
with gerund condescendiendo	dative	condescendiéndome	condescendiéndote	condescendiéndole, condescendiéndose	condescendiéndonos	condescendiéndoos	condescendiéndoles, condescendiéndose
	accusative	condescendiéndome	condescendiéndote	condescendiéndolo, condescendiéndola, condescendiéndose	condescendiéndonos	condescendiéndoos	condescendiéndolos, condescendiéndolas, condescendiéndose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative condesciende	dative	condesciéndeme	condesciéndete	condesciéndele	condesciéndenos	not used	condesciéndeles
	accusative	condesciéndeme	condesciéndete	condesciéndelo, condesciéndela	condesciéndenos	not used	condesciéndelos, condesciéndelas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative condescendé	dative	condescendeme	condescendete	condescendele	condescendenos	not used	condescendeles
	accusative	condescendeme	condescendete	condescendelo, condescendela	condescendenos	not used	condescendelos, condescendelas
with formal second-person singular imperative condescienda	dative	condesciéndame	not used	condesciéndale, condesciéndase	condesciéndanos	not used	condesciéndales
	accusative	condesciéndame	not used	condesciéndalo, condesciéndala, condesciéndase	condesciéndanos	not used	condesciéndalos, condesciéndalas
with first-person plural imperative condescendamos	dative	not used	condescendámoste	condescendámosle	condescendámonos	condescendámoos	condescendámosles
	accusative	not used	condescendámoste	condescendámoslo, condescendámosla	condescendámonos	condescendámoos	condescendámoslos, condescendámoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative condescended	dative	condescendedme	not used	condescendedle	condescendednos	condescendeos	condescendedles
	accusative	condescendedme	not used	condescendedlo, condescendedla	condescendednos	condescendeos	condescendedlos, condescendedlas
with formal second-person plural imperative condesciendan	dative	condesciéndanme	not used	condesciéndanle	condesciéndannos	not used	condesciéndanles, condesciéndanse
	accusative	condesciéndanme	not used	condesciéndanlo, condesciéndanla	condesciéndannos	not used	condesciéndanlos, condesciéndanlas, condesciéndanse

Derived terms

• condescendiente

Related terms

• condescencia
• condesciente
• descender

Further reading

• “condescender”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024