opprobrium
UK /əˈpɹəʊ.bɹɪ.əm/ · US /əˈpɹoʊ.bɹi.əm/ noun
Forms opprobriums opprobria
- noun (countable, archaic) A cause, object, or situation of disgrace or shame.
- noun Disgrace or bad reputation arising from exceedingly shameful behaviour; ignominy.
- noun Scornful contempt or reproach; (countable) an instance of this.
- noun (archaic) Behaviour which is disgraceful or shameful.
Synonyms
opprobry obloquy blame castigation censure derision invective contempt despect despiciency despisal despisement disdain scorn infamy
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin opprobrium, obprobrium (“a reproach, a taunt; disgrace, shame; dishonour; scandal”, noun), from opprobrō, obprobrō (“to reproach, upbraid; to taunt”) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). Opprobrō, obprobrō are derived from ob- (prefix meaning ‘towards’) + probrum (“disgrace, shame; abuse, insult”, noun) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pro- (“forward; toward”) + *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”), in the sense of something brought up to reproach a person).
The plural form opprobria is borrowed from Latin opprobria.
* Portuguese ouprobio (obsolete), opróbrio
* Spanish oprobrio (obsolete), oprobio
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [L., fr. ob (see Ob-) + probrum reproach, disgrace.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “opprobrium”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details