LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinefourth declension

contemptus1

contemptus m (genitive contemptūs)
Classical[kɔnˈtɛmp.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[konˈtɛmp.tus]

Meaning

  1. masculinea despising, contempting; contempt, scorn
  2. masculinea being despised, contempted
  3. masculineignominy

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

iniūria eius, quī tē parvī aestimat
contemptus -ūs (m) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 21

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecontemptuscontemptūs
genitivecontemptūscontemptuum
dativecontemptuīcontemptibus
accusativecontemptumcontemptūs
ablativecontemptūcontemptibus
vocativecontemptuscontemptūs

contemptus (-temt-), ūs, m. contemno,
I. a despising, contemning; contempt, scorn (first freq. since the Aug. per., but esp. so in Quint.; perh. never in Cic., for in Sen. Tranq. 11, 4, prob. the thought only is Ciceronian).
I. Act., a despising: (naribus labrisque) derisus, contemptus, fastidium significari solet, Quint. 11, 3, 80: pecuniae, id. 7, 2, 30: operis, id. 2, 4, 16: operis et hominum, id. 11, 3, 136: opinionis, id. 12, 1, 12: doloris, id. 12, 2, 30 et saep.: ambitionis, Tac. A. 6, 45: famae, id. ib. 4, 38 fin.; cf.: omnis infamiae, Suet. Ner. 39: sui alienique, Tac. Or. 29: sui, Suet. Vit. 14.—Plur.: hunc superbum apparatum ... sequebantur contemptus omnium hominum, Liv. 24, 5, 5.—
II. Pass., a being despised: turpis enim ferme contemptus et acris egestas, Lucr. 3, 65: atque ego contemptūs essem patientior hujus, etc., Ov. M. 13, 859: contemptu inter socios nomen Romanum laborare, Liv. 6, 2, 4; cf. Quint. 12, 8, 14: si contemptum ex humilitate tulerit, id. 5, 14, 30; Ov. M. 2, 527 al.— In plur., Lucr. 5, 831 and 1277.—
B. Transf., an object of contempt, in phrase contemptui esse or habere, to despise: plerumque hominibus Gallis prae magnitudine corporum suorum brevitas nostra contemptui est, is despised, Caes. B. G. 2, 30: eviluit, ut contemptui esset, Suet. Claud. 15: ceteras (caerimonias) contemptui habuit, id. Aug. 93 init.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin contemptus From contemnō + -tus (forming action nouns).

adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective
contemptus2
contemptus (feminine contempta, neuter contemptum, comparative contemptior, superlative contemptissimus, adverb contemptim)
Classical[kɔnˈtɛmp.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[konˈtɛmp.tus]

Meaning

  1. adjectivedespised, despicable
  2. adjectivecontemptible, vile
  3. adjectivevalued little, disregarded
    Quintus Curtius Rufus, Historiae Alexandri Magni, Book VIA small spark neglected has often roused to a great inferno.

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativecontemptuscontemptacontemptum
genitivecontemptīcontemptaecontemptī
dativecontemptōcontemptaecontemptō
accusativecontemptumcontemptamcontemptum
ablativecontemptōcontemptācontemptō
vocativecontemptecontemptacontemptum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativecontemptīcontemptaecontempta
genitivecontemptōrumcontemptārumcontemptōrum
dativecontemptīscontemptīscontemptīs
accusativecontemptōscontemptāscontempta
ablativecontemptīscontemptīscontemptīs
vocativecontemptīcontemptaecontempta

contemptus (-temt-), a, um,
I. Part. and P. a., from contemno.

Origins

Perfect passive participle of contemnō (“to despise”).

Quick answers

What does contemptus mean in Latin?
contemptus, a noun, means “a despising, contempting; contempt, scorn; a being despised, contempted”.
What is the genitive of contemptus?
The genitive singular is contemptūs. contemptus is masculine, fourth declension.
How do you pronounce contemptus?
In classical Latin, [kɔnˈtɛmp.tʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [konˈtɛmp.tus].