Sentence:  It was a word he was <WSD>proud</WSD> of , a word that meant much to him , and he used it with great pleasure , almost as if it were an exclusive possession , and more : he sensed himself to be very highly educated , four cuts above any of the folks back home . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  feeling pleasurable satisfaction over something by which you measures your self-worth