condescend
Part of speech: verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English condescenden, condescendre (“to deign, condescend; to accede graciously; to agree; to agree to, give consent; to make a concession, yield; etc.”), from Old French condescendre (“to descend, go down; to agree or assent to”) (modern French condescendre), from Ecclesiastical Latin condēscendere, the present active infinitive of condēscendō (“to stoop down; to condescend”), from Latin con- (prefix denoting a bringing together of several objects) + dēscendō (“to come or go down, descend; to stoop down”) (from dē- (prefix denoting reversal or undoing) + scandō (“to ascend, mount; to clamber”) (from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to climb, scale; to dart; to jump; etc.”))).
Inflected forms:
form: condescends
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: condescending
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: condescended
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: condescended
pos: verb
tags: past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: condescend
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: condescend
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: condescended
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: condescend
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: condescendest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: condescended
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: condescendedst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: condescends
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: condescendeth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: condescended
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: condescend
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: condescended
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: condescend
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: condescended
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: condescend
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: condescending
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: condescended
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
Senses:
gloss: To come down or go down; to descend.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
examples: To ſtoop to any ſordid lovv Action, is to imitate the Kite, vvhich flyeth high in the Air, yet vouchſafes to condeſcend to Carrion upon the Ground.
gloss: To come down from a superior position and do something; to deign; (with a negative connotation) to stoop.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
examples: The boss condescended not to sack him after much persuasion from his coworkers.
Truli I knowe him [the Devil] to wel, and haue obeyed him a little to much in condiſcenting to ſome folies.
Be of the ſame mind one towards another. Minde not high things, but condeſcend to men of low eſtate. Be not wiſe in your owne conceits.
Spain’s mighty Monarch, to vvhom Heaven thinks fit / That all the Nations of the Earth ſubmit, / In gracious clemency, does condeſcend / On theſe conditions, to become your Friend.
But she is perfectly amiable, and often condescends to drive by my humble abode in her little phaeton and ponies.
But Adeline was occupied by fame / This day; and watching, witching, condescending / To the consumers of fish, fowl and game, / And dignity with courtesy so blending, […]
O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth, who hast set thy glory above the heavens! And yet thou condescendedst to be my God and my portion for ever.
Fanny and little Harriet he seldom condescended to notice; but Mary Ann was something of a favourite.
It will be seen that the poet [Matthew Prior] condescended to imitate the style of the street ballads.
Yet Origen was too high a man to condescend to wilful misrepresentation, or to do less than his very best to exhibit faithfully the lines which he assailed.
"This is the pay I get for condescending to let you go with me." / "You needn't condescend any longer," said Tom curtly, and he crossed to the other side of the street.
gloss: To treat someone as though inferior; to talk down to someone; to patronize.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
examples: Miss Crawley's graciousness was also remarkable. She continued her raptures about little Amelia, talked about her before her face as if she were a doll, or a servant, or a picture, and admired her with the most benevolent wonder possible. I admire that admiration which the genteel world sometimes extends to the commonalty. There is no more agreeable object in life than to see May Fair folks condescending.
"You must know," said Estella, condescending to me as a brilliant and beautiful woman might, "that I have no heart—if that has anything to do with my memory."
Ermine never let any one be condescending to her, and conducted the conversation with her usual graceful good breeding, […]
At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.
gloss: Chiefly followed by on or upon: to go into detail; to particularize, to specify.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
examples: The whole of his work consists of digested and transformed experience presented to you under arrangements new to himself. It is all true, except as to "the way it is put," and you feel that it is true—that is, if the work be good of the kind; but you can not "condescend upon particulars" as to when and where it all happened.
gloss: To agree to something; to accede, to assent, to consent; also, to reach an agreement.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
obsolete
examples: Than were they condeſended that Kyng Arthure and syr mordred ſhold mete betwyxte bothe theyr hooſtes and eueryche of them shold brynge fourtene persones […]
Careles and shamlesse, / Thriftles and gracelesse, / Together are bended, / And so condyscended, / That the commune welth / Shall neuer haue good helth, […]
For thoſe iuſtly deſerue yͤ ſworde, which with no reaſonable condicions, wil condeſcende vnto peace.
With those reasons of Lanfranke [i.e., Lanfranc], Thomas [of Bayeux] gaue ouer, condescending that the firste of hys prouince should begin at Humber.
The nobles and commons alſo of this realme, […] haue fully condiſcended and vtterly determined to make humble peticion vnto the puyſſaunt prince the Lorde protectour [the Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III], that it maye like his grace at our humble requeſt, to take vpon him the guyding and gouernaunce of this realme, […]
[B]oth ſides, all toke ſolemne oath, and ſo the peace vvas concluded; they of Plangus partie forcing him to agree, though he himſelfe the ſooner condiſcended, knovving the courteſie of thoſe tvvo excellent Princes, not to refuſe ſo noble a quarrell, and their povver ſuch, as tvvo more (like the other tvvo) vvere not able to reſiſt.
And aſſone as the ſtate of the Church could admit thereof, they eaſily condeſcended to thinke it moſt naturall and moſt fit, that God ſhould receiue as before of all men his ancient accuſtomed revenevves of Tithes.
[T]o that opinion I muſt needs condiſcend, for I find it in dayly experience […]
[F]rom his ovvn vvords vve may perceave eaſily, […] hovv unvvillingly and vvith vvhat mentall reſervation he condeſcended againſt his ovvn intereſt to remove it out of the Peers houſe, hath bin ſhovvn alreadie.
gloss: To give way or yield in a deferential manner; to be amenable or compliant.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
obsolete
examples: Henricus the Emperour [Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor] fearing þᵉ vaine thūderbolt of the Popes curse, talking with his princes, and perswaded by his frendes, was fain to condescend to the vnreasonable conditions of the Pope: […]
Theodoſius gave eare & condiſcended to his vvords, […]
Can they think me ſo broken, ſo debas'd / VVith corporal ſervitude, that my mind ever / VVill condeſcend to ſuch abſurd commands?
gloss: To graciously give; to vouchsafe.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
obsolete
examples: [W]hen John [the author of the Gospel of John] asks thee [Jesus] a queſtion […] thou condeſcendeſt to a mild and full (though ſecret) ſatisfaction.
gloss: To reach a certain point; to settle on.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
obsolete
examples: [H]is Ho[liness] hath, & contynually doth deſire them vvith ſpede to condeſcend to oon opinion, or other, & to ſhevv their ſentence in theſe Articles, VVhether in ther opinions the cauſes vvherupon the Matrimony ſhold be declared nought, & the Diſpenſation void, be ſufficient in the lavv, or not.
[T]hereafter our cavalier condescendeth again to matters of fact.
gloss: To secretly make plans, usually to bring about a bad or illegal result; to conspire, to plot.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
obsolete
examples: [S]he perſwaded the Duke of Clarence, that it was neyther naturall, nor honorable to him eyther to condiſcende or take parte againſt the houſe of Yorke, (of which he was lineally diſcended) and to ſet vp agayne the houſe of Lancaſtre, […]
gloss: To treat (someone) as though inferior; to talk down to (someone); to patronize.
pos: verb
tags: nonstandard
rare
transitive
examples: I didn't mean to condescend you, Mr. Shreck.
I'm not trying to condescend you, Ben.
THOMAS. […] Does my anger deserve your condescension? / ANDIE. I wasn't condescending you; I was just asking. / THOMAS. No. You said "angry black man." Like my anger only exists in a stereotype. That's condescending. I mean, does it occur to you that I might have something to be angry about? A reason that has nothing to do with my being black?
gloss: Often preceded by the dummy pronoun it: to agree to (something); to consent.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: It was condescended by the warring parties that they should lay down their arms and seek peace.
And furthermore, we commit the adminiſtration & vſe of policie and iuſtice ouer the foreſaid vnited prouinces, and aſſociat cities and members of the ſame into his hands, […] with eſpeciall power to collect profits, and receiue, and adminiſtrat all the contributions which are agreed and condeſcended, or ſhall hereafter he conſented or agreed, to the maintenance of the warres: […]
Related words: condescendence
condescend upon
condescension
descend
Derived words: condescendancy
condescender
condescending
condescent
discondescend
uncondescendable
uncondescending
Translations:
lang: Belarusian
word: удастоіць
roman: udastóicʹ
lang: Belarusian
word: удастойваць
roman: udastójvacʹ
lang: Bulgarian
word: благоволявам
roman: blagovoljavam
lang: Czech
word: snížit se
lang: Finnish
word: alentua
lang: German
word: herablassen
lang: Greek
word: καταδέχομαι
roman: katadéchomai
lang: Hungarian
word: méltat
lang: Hungarian
word: méltóztatik
lang: Hungarian
word: méltóztat
lang: Hungarian
word: kegyeskedik
lang: Hungarian
word: leereszkedik
lang: Hungarian
word: ereszkedik
lang: Hungarian
word: lesüllyed
lang: Hungarian
word: süllyed
lang: Italian
word: accondiscendere
lang: Macedonian
word: спу́шти
roman: spúšti
lang: Macedonian
word: спу́шта
roman: spúšta
lang: Macedonian
word: благо́воли
roman: blagóvoli
lang: Māori
word: tapatu
lang: Polish
word: zniżać się
lang: Polish
word: zniżyć się
lang: Russian
word: снизойти́
roman: snizojtí
lang: Spanish
word: condescender (a)
lang: Swedish
word: bevärdiga sig
lang: Thai
word: ถ่อมตัวลง
lang: Czech
word: povyšovat se
lang: Czech
word: vyvyšovat se
lang: Dutch
word: neerbuigend behandelen
lang: Dutch
word: bevoogden
lang: German
word: bevormunden
lang: German
word: herablassend behandeln
lang: Greek
word: καταδέχομαι
roman: katadéchomai
lang: Hungarian
word: fölényeskedik
lang: Hungarian
word: lekezel
lang: Italian
word: concedere
lang: Polish
word: traktować z góry
lang: Polish
word: potraktować z góry
lang: Spanish
word: condescender (a)
lang: Thai
word: ทำตัวเหนือใส่
lang: Spanish
word: huevonear
lang: Spanish
word: huevear