Thursday, 19 February 2009

Deign

I thought that I invented a word. I have been using it for a long time but never knew how to spell it, like so many words. I have no idea how I learnt this word. I only ran into trouble because I was looking for the correct spelling of it to use in the post below (Was going to say: The only pun I ever deign to make.) I thought it might be either 'dain' or 'dane' since it is pronounced like it rhymes with 'pain' or 'lane'. Turns out the correct spelling is 'deign' but it took me forever to find it. Ottawa Erin even had me convinced that I had made it up and there was no such word. I was trying to tell her that I had been saying it for years, in the same context every time, and that I wasn't some kind of insane person who makes up words. "I swear it is a word, it means to lower oneself to do something and not like doing it," I told her. Well I have finally proven to myself and her that I'm not crazy since I found the definition on Merriam-Webster Dictionary online.

DEIGN - verb - to condescend reluctantly and with a strong sense of the affront to one's superiority that is involved - "would not even deign to talk to him" - to condescend to give or offer

3 comments:

Erin said...

Hahahaha, okay, you got me. This is why I switched from English to Mass Comm.

Unknown said...

I am glad you are not crazy.

Unknown said...

I love that word!! I use it too. You're not crazy!