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Origin and history of scorn

scorn(n.)

late 12c., scorn, skarn, "feeling or attitude of contempt; contemptuous treatment, mocking abuse," a shortening of Old French escarn "mockery, derision, contempt," a common Romanic word (Spanish escarnio, Italian scherno) of Germanic origin (source also of Old High German skern "mockery, jest, sport;" see scorn (v.)).

The vowel is perhaps influenced by Old French escorne "affront, disgrace," which is a back-formation from escorner, literally "to break off (someone's) horns" (see the verb). To laugh (someone) to scorn is from c. 1300 ("Sir Bevis").

scorn(v.)

late 12c., scornen, "act contemptuously;" early 13c., "feel scorn or contempt, be contemptuous;" late 13c., transitive, "hold in scorn or contempt;" from Anglo-French, Old North French escarnir (Old French escharnir), a common Romanic verb (Spanish escarnir, Italian schernire), from a Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *skarnjan "mock, deride" (source also of Middle High German scherzen "to jump with joy, Old High German skernon, Middle Dutch schernen). Related: Scorned; scorning.

OED rejects the suggestion that the vowel change in the Romanic languages might be by influence of or confusion with Old French escorner "deprive of horns," hence "deprive of honor or ornament, disgrace," from Vulgar Latin *excornare (source of Italian scornare "treat with contempt"), from Latin ex- "without" (see ex-) + cornu "horn" (see horn (n.)).

also from late 12c.

Entries linking to scorn

horn(n.)

Old English horn "horn of an animal; projection, pinnacle," also "wind instrument" (originally one made from animal horns), from Proto-Germanic *hurni- (source also of German Horn, Dutch horen, Old Frisian horn, Gothic haurn), from PIE root *ker- (1) "horn; head."

Late 14c. as "one of the tips of the crescent moon." The name was retained for a class of musical instruments that developed from the hunting horn; the French horn is the true representative of the class. Of dilemmas from 1540s; of automobile warning signals from 1901. Slang meaning "erect penis" is suggested by c. 1600. Jazz slang sense of "trumpet" is by 1921. Meaning "telephone" is by 1945. Figurative senses of Latin cornu included "salient point, chief argument; wing, flank; power, courage, strength." Horn of plenty is from 1580s. To make horns at "hold up the fist with the two exterior fingers extended" as a gesture of insult is from c.1600.

Symbolic of cuckoldry since mid-15c. (the victim was fancied to grow one on his head). The image is widespread in Europe and perhaps as old as ancient Greece. The German linguist Hermann Dunger ('Hörner Aufsetzen' und 'Hahnrei', "Germania" 29, 1884) ascribes it to a custom surviving into 19c., "the old practice of engrafting the spurs of a castrated cock on the root of the excised comb, which caused them to grow like horns" [James Hastings, "Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics"] but the image could have grown as well from a general gesture of contempt or insult made to wronged husbands, "who have been the subject of popular jest in all ages" [Hastings].

scorner(n.)

c. 1300, "one who disdains or ridicules, a mocker," formerly especially "a scoffer at religion, one who mocks or derides church rules and leaders," agent noun from scorn (v.).

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Trends of scorn

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to explore

contemn
mid-15c., contempnen, "to slight or spurn," from Old French contemner (15c.) or directly from Latin contemnere "to despise, scorn, consider (something or someone) as of small value," from assimilated form of com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + *temnere "to slight
despise
"look down upon, scorn, disdain, treat with contempt," c. 1300, despisen, from Old French despis-, present-participle stem of despire "to despise," from Latin despicere "look down on, scorn," from de- "down" (see de-) + spicere/specere "to look at" (from PIE root *spek- "to obser
disdain
mid-14c., desdeinen, "think unworthy or worthless, look upon with contempt," from Old French desdeignier "disdain, scorn, refuse, repudiate" (Modern French dédaigner), from des- "do the opposite of" (see dis-) + deignier "treat as worthy," from Latin dignari "to deem worthy or fi
contemptible
late 14c., "despicable, worthy of contempt," also "lowly, humble, unworthy," from Late Latin contemptibilis "worthy of scorn...," from contempt-, past-participle stem of Latin contemnere "to scorn, despise," from assimilated form of com-, here perhaps...an intensive prefix (see com-), + *temnere "to slight, scorn," which is of uncertain origin (see contempt)....Contemptible is unworthy of notice, deserving of scorn, for littleness or meanness; it is generally not so strong as despicable...
contempt
.); general sense of "act of despising, scorn for what is mean, vile, or worthless" is from c. 1400; from Old French contempt..., contemps, and directly Latin contemptus "scorn," from past participle of contemnere "to scorn, despise," from assimilated...form of com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + *temnere "to slight, scorn, despise," which is of uncertain...The etymology is disputed: the meaning 'scorn' has probably developed from a more concrete meaning ...."...
despite
"contemptuous challenge, defiance; act designed to insult or humiliate someone;" mid-14c., "scorn, contempt," from Old French...despit (12c., Modern French dépit), from Latin despectus "a looking down on, scorn, contempt," from past participle of despicere..."look down on, scorn," from de "down" (see de-) + spicere/specere "to look at" (from PIE root *spek- "to observe")....
sneer
1550s, "to snort" (intransitive, of horses), perhaps from North Frisian sneere "to scorn," related to Old English fnæran...from 1670s; that of "speak derisively, insinuate contempt in words" is by 1707; the sense of "to curl the upper lip in scorn...
detest
1530s, "execrate, hate, dislike intensely," also "to curse, to call God to witness and abhor," from French détester, from Latin detestari "to curse, execrate, abominate, express abhorrence for," literally "denounce with one's testimony," from de "from, down" (see de-) + testari "
leer
1520s, "to look obliquely" (since 18c. usually implying a lustful, wolfish, malicious intent), probably from Middle English noun ler "cheek," from Old English hleor "the cheek, the face," from Proto-Germanic *hleuza- "near the ear," from *hleuso- "ear," from PIE root *kleu- "to h
reel
"cylinder or frame turning on an axis," especially one on which thread, yarn, string, etc. is wound after being spun, Middle English rele, from late Old English reol, hreol "reel for winding thread," from Proto-Germanic *hrehulaz; probably related to hrægel "garment," and Old Nor

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