chagrin
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From French chagrin (“sorrow”), from Middle French chagrin (“pain, affliction”) (compare Middle French chagriner, chagrigner (“to experience sorrow”), Old French chagrin (“painful, afflicted”)), probably derived from Old Northern French chagreiner, chagraigner (“to sadden”), of uncertain origin. Likely an enlargement of Old French greignier, graignier (“to cringe, growl, be sullen, be angry, grieve over”), from Old French graigne (“sadness, resentment, grief”), from graim (“sorrowful”), related to Old High German gram (“furious, gloomy, grieved”). The initial syllable is obscure. It may represent Old French chat (“cat”) to express the idea of "lamenting or yowling like cats" (compare German Katzenjammer (“distress, frustration, depression, chagrin”, literally “cat-wailing, cat-misery”), katzbalgen (“to cat-fight”)).
An alternative theory is that it came from a metaphorical use of French chagrin, (peau de) chagrain (“a type of roughened leather”), with the connection of roughness, though some dictionaries consider this to be a separate word derived from Old French peau de sagrin, from Ottoman Turkish [script needed] (sağrı, “the rump of an animal, skin for tawing”). The alteration of initial s to ch is likely due to influence from chagrin meaning "sorrow".
Inflected forms:
form: chagrins
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: chagrine
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: chargrin
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: chagrins
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: chagrining
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: chagrinning
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: chagrined
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: chagrined
pos: verb
tags: past
form: chagrinned
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: chagrinned
pos: verb
tags: past
form: chagrine
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: chargrin
pos: verb
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: A distress of mind caused by a failure of aims or plans, a want of appreciation, mistakes, etc.; vexation or mortification.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: much to the chagrin (of)
[H]e alone knew how deep was the deluded man's chagrin at the failure of the little plot which he fancied was prospering finely.
“Mrs. Yule's chagrin and horror at what she called her son's base ingratitude knew no bounds ; at first it was even thought that she would never get over it.[…]”
I was like that, not in a state of fury but of sadness, when your letter arrived. I began to read it, with the pleasure one feels on hearing oneself attacked by somebody one likes. But when I reached the passage about the ‘sadism’ and ‘demonicalness’ of my persecution of you, my chagrin couldn’t hold out, and gaiety broke through.
And even though their numbers have been halved—that’s the unofficial tally given in one of the strategy sessions—everyone from Sansa to Daenerys to Varys is wondering who is going to rule over which pile of smoking ruins. That’s when the campaigning begins, much to Jon and Dany’s chagrin.
gloss: A type of leather or skin with a rough surface.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: To bother or vex; to mortify.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: But since this Infidel Minister knows the folly of these Brags; which he sees destroy’d by the Relations Printed in other Countries: They serve only, for a Subject to augment his Pride; and gives him a Pleasure, the mor to Chagrine and Mortifie the French Ambassador.
[…] though you send at any Time, and even received an unmannerly Answer, do not let a rash Pride drive you to return the Affront, since it is impossible for you to know what at that Instant had chagrin’d their Temper.
Meet once a year, then part, and then
Retiring, wish to meet again.
He felt pretty sure that, if this interview took place, his mother's account of what passed at it would only annoy and chagrin him, though he would all the time be aware of the colouring which it received by passing through her mind.
She would go on like that for hours, connecting one offense to another until all of the things that chagrined her were spewed out.
gloss: To be vexed or annoyed.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
rare
reflexive
examples: Dear Ma’am, why will you chagrine yourself about a vile Man, that is not worth,—no, as I live and breathe,—not worth a single Sigh?—
Related words: disappointment
disgust
Derived words: shagreen
chagrined
chagrining
Translations: