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deign

(dān)

v. deigned, deign·ing, deigns

v.intr.

To do something that one considers beneath one's dignity; condescend: wouldn't deign to greet the servant who opened the door. See Synonyms at stoop¹.

v.tr.

To condescend to give or grant; vouchsafe: "Nor would we deign him burial of his men" (Shakespeare).

[Middle English deinen, from Old French deignier, to regard as worthy, from Latin dignārī, from dignus, worthy; see dek- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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