Supercilious is an adjective describing someone who is coolly and patronizingly haughty. The word derives from the Latin 'supercilium', meaning 'eyebrow', as haughty people often raise an eyebrow.
Supercilious es un adjetivo que describe a alguien que es frío y condescendiente. La palabra deriva del latín "supercilium", que significa "ceja", ya que las personas altivas a menudo levantan una ceja.
| Word | supercilious |
|---|---|
| Date | December 8, 2007 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | soo-per-SILL-ee-us |
| Etymology | Arrogant and disdainful types tend to raise an eyebrow at anything they consider beneath them. The original supercilious crowd must have shown that raised-eyebrow look often, because the adjective "supercilious" derives from "supercilium," Latin for "eyebrow." (We plucked our adjective and its meaning from the Latin adjective "superciliosus.") "Supercilious" has been used to describe the censoriously overbearing since the late 1600s, but there was a time in the 1700s when it was also used as a synonym of another "supercilium" descendent, "superciliary" ("of, relating to, or adjoining the eyebrow"). Although the eyebrow sense of "supercilious" is now obsolete, it does help explain what ornithologist John Latham meant in 1782 when he described a "Supercilious K[ingfisher]" with a narrow orange stripe over its eyes. |
| Examples | Lucinda's beauty attracted many suitors, but her supercilious manner eventually drove them all away. |
| Definition | : coolly and patronizingly haughty |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
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