Word of the Day
Supercilious (adjective)
Pronunciation: [su-pêr-'si-li-yês]
Definition: Overly haughty and condescending, disdainful, toplofty.
Usage: The word is used when hubris leads to condescension to others. Look out for the -ous ending and the single "l". It sounds "silly" but it has nothing to do with this word.
Suggested Usage: The term has pejorative connotations, implying that someone has taken pride beyond its justification to a lack of esteem for others: "His supercilious demeanor undermines his interaction with colleagues in his department."
Etymology: From Latin super-cilium "eye-brow", in turn from super "above, over" (adj. superus "higher, upper") and cilium "eyelid". Probably semantically related to the concept "high-brow". –Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com
Perfect timing!
ReplyDeleteI was looking for something like Supersillyass to go with my new Coppensian term; SNOBservational Humour
Yes I have to add the U because I am Canadian and we do make use of the Queen's Anglysche...
which added bloody U's to bloody well accomodate the bloody French Norman Kings (106-bloody-6 Hastings pfft!) some of whom could only bloody swear in bloody English.
Over the eyebrow, eh? That's because supercilious people raise one brow as they look down their noses at us normal folk. They think we are having delusions of grandeur because we think we are as marvelous as they are.
ReplyDelete/;^o Jan the Gryphon
http://gryph-wotd.blogspot.com/