Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To do something that one considers beneath one's dignity; condescend: synonym: stoop.
  • intransitive verb To condescend to give or grant; vouchsafe.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To think worthy; think well of; think worthy of acceptance.
  • To grant or permit, as by condescension or favor.
  • To vouchsafe; condescend: with an infinitive for object.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To think worthy; to vouchsafe; to condescend; - - followed by an infinitive.
  • transitive verb obsolete To esteem worthy; to consider worth notice; -- opposed to disdain.
  • transitive verb To condescend to give or bestow; to stoop to furnish; to vouchsafe; to allow; to grant.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive To condescend; to accept as appropriate to one's dignity.
  • verb transitive To condescend to give; to do something.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb do something that one considers to be below one's dignity

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

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

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English deignen, from Old French deignier ("consider worthy"), from Latin dignārī, present active infinitive of digno ("consider worthy"), from dignus ("worthy"). Cognate to dignity.

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Examples

Comments

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  • A word with an interesting history--it went from "accept graciously" to the current meaning of "condescend."

    July 17, 2007

  • condescend

    March 14, 2009

  • This word was used in "Black Hawk Down."

    June 10, 2012