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Origin and history of haughty

haughty(adj.)

"proud and disdainful," 1520s, a redundant extension of haught (q.v.) "high in one's own estimation" by addition of -y (2) on model of might/mighty, naught/naughty, etc. Middle English had also hautif in this sense (mid-15c., from Old French hautif), and hautein "proud, haughty, arrogant; presumptuous" (c. 1300), from Old French hautain. Related: Haughtily.

also from 1520s

Entries linking to haughty

haught(adj.)

c. 1300, haut, "great, high;" mid-15c., "high in one's own estimation, haughty," from Old French haut (11c.) "main, principal; proud, noble, dignified; eminent; loud; grand," literally "high," from Latin altus "high," literally "grown tall," from PIE root *al- (2) "to grow, nourish;" with initial h- in French by influence of Frankish hoh "high." Spelling in English altered to -gh- 16c. by influence of caught, naught, etc., or of high, or perhaps by the belief that it was a Germanic word. Related: Haughtily.

haughtiness(n.)

1550s, from haughty + -ness. Earlier was haughtness (late 15c.), from haut (adj.).

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imperious
1540s, "of a dominating character," from Latin imperiosus "commanding, mighty, powerful," from imperium "empire, command" (see empire). Formerly also emperious. Meaning "imperial" is from 1580s. Related: Imperiously; imperiousness. Imperious applies to the spirit or manner of th
supercilious
1520s, "lofty with pride, haughtily contemptuous," from Latin superciliosus "haughty, arrogant," from supercilium "haughty demeanor, pride," literally "eyebrow" (via notion of raising the eyebrow to express haughtiness), from super "above" (see super-) + second element akin to ci
fierce
mid-13c., "proud, noble, bold, haughty," from Old French fers, fiers, nominative form of fer, fier "strong, overwhelming,...violent, fierce, wild; proud, mighty, great, impressive" (Modern French fier "proud, haughty"), from Latin ferus "wild,...
frown
scowling look," probably from Gaulish *frogna "nostril" (compare Welsh ffroen "nose"), with a sense of "snort," or perhaps "haughty...
stout
c. 1300, stoute, "valiant, brave," also "proud, haughty; skilled in battle; fierce, cruel," senses now obsolete, from Old...Germanic *stult- "proud, stately, strutting" (source also of Middle Low German stolt "stately, proud," German stolz "proud, haughty...
acerbity
Latin acerbus is related to acer "sharp" as superbus "haughty" to super "above."...
despise
To disdain is to have a high-minded abhorrence of, or a proud and haughty contempt of. [Century Dictionary]...
might
Old English mihte, meahte, originally the past tense of may (Old English magen "to be able"), thus "*may-ed." The noun might-have-been "something that might have happened but did not," also "someone that might have been greater but wasn't," is by 1848...."quality of being able, a
mighty
"possessed of or endowed with might; having much ability, strength, or power," Old English mihtig, earlier mæhtig, from Proto-Germanic *mahtiga- (source also of Old Frisian mechtig, Old Saxon mahtig, Dutch machtig, German mächtig), from the source of might (n.). As an adverb, "ve
naught
mid-14c., "evil, an evil act," also " a trifle," c. 1400, "nothingness;" early 15c., in arithmetic, "the number zero;" from noht, naht (pron.) "nothing" (late 12c.), from Old English nawiht "nothing," literally "no whit," from na "no" (from PIE root *ne- "not") + wiht "thing, cre

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