Other forms: deigned
To deign is to do something you consider beneath you. Deign to reply, never deigned to look, if he deigns to come.
It is nearly always sarcastic, and it appears almost only in the negative or with to: not deign to answer is the standard shape. The word is a relative of dignity and of disdain, and all three come from the same Latin root.
1verbdeignTo do something you consider beneath you.
“The famous singer didn't even deign to look at the fans waiting outside.”
deign is a condescending.
The Latin is worthy, the same worth in dignity. To deign is to decide a thing is only just worthy of you, and to do it anyway.
hooks ontodignity
Old French deignier comes from Latin dignari, to consider worthy, from dignus, worthy.
Proto-Indo-European
*deḱ- — to perceive; to take
Latin
dignāre
Old French
daigner
Middle English
deinen
English, today
deign
Built from
From Middle English deinen, deynen (“to consider (something) suitable to one’s dignity or worth, condescend; to appear worthy; to condescend to grant (something), permit, vouchsafe; to regard (someone) as worthy; to consecrate, dedicate (something)”), from Old French daigner, degnier, deigner, deignier (“to condescend, deign”) (modern French daigner), from Latin dignāre, the of dignō (“to deem fitting, suitable, or worthy; to condescend, deign”), from dignus (“fitting, suitable, worthy; worthy of”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European deḱ- (“to perceive; to take”)) + -ō. 2
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA