conceit
/kənˈsiːt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.82 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An ingenious expression or metaphorical idea, especially in extended form or used as a literary or rhetorical device.
Countable
Example Sentences
- "In laughing, there ever procedeth a conceit of somewhat ridiculous."
- "a man wise in his own conceit"
- "It was after a night like this that I shocked the community with a queer conceit about the burial of the rich and celebrated Squire Brewster […]"
- "a man of quick conceit"
- "How often, alas! did her eyes say unto me that they loved! and yet I, not looking for such a matter, had not my conceit open to understand them."
- "His wit's as thick as Tewksbury mustard; there is no more conceit in him than is in a mallet."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- substratebor.? Proto-Indo-European *kap- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti Proto-Italic *kapjō Archaic Latin kapiō Latin capiō ▲ Ancient Greek σῠλλᾰμβᾰ́νω (sŭllămbắnō)calq. Latin concipiō Old French concevoirbor. Middle English conceyven Middle English conceyte English conceit From Middle English conceyte, formed from conceyven by analogy with pairs such as (Modern English) deceive~deceit, receive~receipt etc. Doublet of concept and concetto. Akin to Portuguese conceito.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: conceyte