condescend
/ˌkɑndəˈsɛnd/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.25 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To come down from a superior position and do something; to deign; (with a negative connotation) to stoop.
Intransitive verb
verb
Chiefly followed by on or upon: to go into detail; to particularize, to specify.
Intransitive verb
verb
To agree to something; to accede, to assent, to consent; also, to reach an agreement.
Intransitive verb; Obsolete
Example Sentences
- "To ſtoop to any ſordid lovv Action, is to imitate the Kite, vvhich flyeth high in the Air, yet vouchſafes to condeſcend to Carrion upon the Ground."
- "The boss condescended not to sack him after much persuasion from his coworkers."
- "Truli I knowe him [the Devil] to wel, and haue obeyed him a little to much in condiſcenting to ſome folies."
- "Be of the ſame mind one towards another. Minde not high things, but condeſcend to men of low eſtate. Be not wiſe in your owne conceits."
- "Spain’s mighty Monarch, to vvhom Heaven thinks fit / That all the Nations of the Earth ſubmit, / In gracious clemency, does condeſcend / On theſe conditions, to become your Friend."
- "But she is perfectly amiable, and often condescends to drive by my humble abode in her little phaeton and ponies."
Etymology
From Middle English condescenden, condescendre (“to deign, condescend; to accede graciously; to agree; to agree to, give consent; to make a concession, yield; etc.”), from Old French condescendre (“to descend, go down; to agree or assent to”) (modern French condescendre), from Ecclesiastical Latin condēscendere, the present active infinitive of condēscendō (“to stoop down; to condescend”), from Latin con- (prefix denoting a bringing together of several objects) + dēscendō (“to come or go down, descend; to stoop down”) (from dē- (prefix denoting reversal or undoing) + scandō (“to ascend, mount; to clamber”) (from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to climb, scale; to dart; to jump; etc.”))).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *skend-, condescenden, condescendre, condēscendere, con-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌkɑndəˈsɛnd/
- British English: /ˌkɒndɪˈsɛnd/
Usage
Inflected Forms
condescends (present, singular)
condescending (participle, present)
condescended (participle, past)
condescended (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
condescended (first person, past)
condescendest (archaic, present)
condescended (past, second person)
condescendedst (archaic, past)
condescendeth (archaic, present)
condescended (past, singular)
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
discondescend