disparage

English

Etymology

From Middle English disparage (noun), disparagen (verb), from Old French desparage (noun), desparagier (verb), from des- (“dis-”) + parage (“equal rank, rank”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪsˈpæɹɪd͡ʒ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

disparage (uncountable)

1. (obsolete) Inequality in marriage; marriage with an inferior.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     But, for his meane degree might not aspire / To match so high, her friends with counsell sage / Dissuaded her from such a disparage […]

Translations

marriage

Bulgarian: неравностоен брак m (neravnostoen brak) Dutch: getrouwd/huwelijk onder zijn/haar stand Finnish: epäsäätyisyys (fi) (phenomenon), epäsäätyinen avioliitto, mesallianssi (marriage) French: mésalliance (fr) f German: nicht standesgemäße Ehe f, Missheirat f Middle English: disparage Russian: нера́вный брак m (nerávnyj brak), мезалья́нс (ru) m (mezalʹjáns)

Verb

disparage (third-person singular simple present disparages, present participle disparaging, simple past and past participle disparaged)

1. (obsolete) To match unequally; to degrade or dishonor.
   • 1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; Charles Cowden Clarke, editor, The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer. […], 2nd edition, volume (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), Edinburgh: James Nichol; London: James Nisbet & Co.; Dublin: W. Robertson, 1860, →OCLC:

     Alas! that any of my nation
     Should ever so foul disparaged be.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. To dishonor by a comparison with what is inferior; to lower in rank or estimation by actions or words; to speak slightingly of; to depreciate; to undervalue.
   • August 30, 1706, Francis Atterbury, a sermon preach'd in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, at the funeral of Mr. Tho. Bennet

     those forbidding appearances which sometimes disparage the actions of men sincerely pious

   • 1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes:

     Thou durst not thus disparage glorious arms.

3. To ridicule, mock, discredit.
   • 1878, Mrs. Forrest-Grant, Riversdale Court: A Novel:

     Had he disparaged my personal appearance I should in all probability have laughed at him with lively indifference

Derived terms

• disparageable
• disparagement
• disparager
• disparaging
• undisparaged

Translations

to match unequally

Bulgarian: омаловажавам (bg) (omalovažavam) Dutch: vernederen (nl) French: (?) (please verify) se mésallier (fr)

to dishonor by a comparison

Azerbaijani: gözdən salmaq Bulgarian: подценявам (bg) (podcenjavam) Czech: znevažovat impf, znevážit pf Danish: nedvurdere, forklejne, nedgøre Dutch: onteren (nl) Finnish: halventaa (fi), vähätellä (fi), aliarvostaa (fi) French: dénigrer (fr) German: herabsetzen (de), herabwürdigen (de), entehren (de), verächtlich machen, verunglimpfen (de), schmälern (de), geringschätzen (de), in Verruf bringen, verachten (de), herabmindern Hungarian: becsmérel (hu), leszól (hu), ócsárol (hu) Japanese: 罵る (ja) (nonoshiru), 貶す (ja) (kenasu) Maori: whakarōriki, hahani, whakaparahako, whakatakē, whakatūtūā, whakahahani, whakanano, whakatoatoa, kanone, hanihani Norwegian: Bokmål: ringeakte, rakke ned på, nedvurdere, forkleine Portuguese: denegrir (pt) Russian: очернять (ru) impf (očernjatʹ), принижать (ru) impf (prinižatʹ) Spanish: denigrar (es), menospreciar (es) Swedish: förringa (sv) Tagalog: hamakin Ukrainian: зневажати (uk) (znevažaty), принижувати (prynyžuvaty)

to ridicule — see ridicule

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Ido: (please verify) denigrar (io)

See also

• vilipend
• belittle
• denigrate
• excoriate

Further reading

• “disparage”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “disparage”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “disparage”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French desparage; equivalent to dis- +‎ parage.

Alternative forms

• dysperage, disperage, desparage

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /disˌpaˈraːd͡ʒ(ə)/, /disˈparad͡ʒ(ə)/, /dɛs-/

Noun

disparage (uncountable) (rare)

1. Inequality in marriage; marriage with an inferior.
2. Ignominy, shame; the state of lacking respect.

Descendants

• English: disparage

References

• “disparāǧe, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 21 April 2019.

Etymology 2

From Old French desparagier.

Verb

disparage

1. alternative form of disparagen