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de·spond

(dĭ-spŏnd)

intr.v. de·spond·ed, de·spond·ing, de·sponds

To become disheartened or discouraged.

Despondency: "The outward show of fight masked a spreading inner despond at the White House" (Newsweek).

[Latin dēspondēre, to give up : dē-, de- + spondēre, to promise; see spend- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

de·sponding·ly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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