Lewis & Short

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con-temno (also contempno; cf. Ritschl Prol. ad Plaut. p. 103), tempsi (-temsi), temptum (-temtum), 3, v. a., to consider a person or thing as unimportant or of small value, to value little, esteem lightly, contemn, despise, disdain, defy, not to fear, etc. (very freq. in connection with irridere, despicere, non curare, pro nihilo ducere, etc.; opp.: expetere, efferre, timere, metuere, etc.; v. the foll. and cf. aspernor; fre[qacute]. and class. in prose and poetry).

  1. I. In gen.
    1. A. With things as objects: quodque ea, quae plerique vehementer expetunt, contemnant et pro nihilo ducant, Cic. Off. 1, 9, 28; id. Fin. 3, 9, 29: corporis voluptatem contemni et reici oportere, id. Off. 1, 30, 106: illum exercitum prae Gallicanis legionibus … magno opere contemno, id. Cat. 2, 3, 5: Romam prae suā Capuā irridebunt atque contemnent, id. Agr. 2, 35, 95: non usque eo L. Catilina rem publicam despexit atque contempsit, ut, etc., id. Mur. 37, 78; cf. id. Verr. 1, 3, 9: quam (virtutem) … reliquā ex collatione facile est conterere atque contemnere, in consequence of, id. Tusc. 5, 30, 85: Isocrates videtur testimonio Platonis aliorum judicia debere contemnere, id. Or. 13, 41: magna sunt ea, quae dico: noli haec contemnere (= levia habere), esteem lightly, id. Div. in Caecil. 12, 39: nullam rem in me esse quam ille contemnat (= non timeat), nullam in se quam pertimescat, id. ib. 7, 23; cf. opp. metuere, id. Imp. Pomp. 15, 43: neque enim refutanda tantum, quae e contrario dicuntur, sed contemnenda, elevanda, ridenda sunt, Quint. 6, 4, 10 Spald.; cf. id. 4, 1, 38 al. (cf. under II.): imperium meum, Plaut. As. 2, 4, 10: tuum consilium, Ter. Hec. 1, 2, 15: mea dona, Lucr. 1, 48: murmura ponti, id. 3, 1045: praeclare res humanas, Cic. Fam. 5, 13, 1: parva ista, Liv. 6, 41, 8: laborem bene dicendi, Quint. 1, prooem. 14: metum jurisjurandi, id. 5, 6, 3: populi voces, Hor. S. 1, 1, 65: honores, id. ib. 2, 7, 85: cantus Apollineos prae se, Ov. M. 11, 155: Antoni gladios potuit contemnere (Cicero), Juv. 10, 123: paucitatem in hoste, Curt. 3, 3, 28.
      Poet.: nullas illa suis contemnet fletibus aras, neglect, leave unvisited, Prop. 1, 4, 23.
          1. (β) With inf.: non contemnas lippus inungi, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 29; so, coronari Olympia, id. ib. 1, 1, 50: mori, Sen. Phoen. 197.
          2. (γ) Absol.: ut irascatur judex … faveat, contemnat, Cic. Or. 38, 131; cf. Quint. 9, 1, 23.
          3. (δ) In part. fut. pass.: quae (amplitudo animi) maxime eminet contemnendis et despiciendis doloribus, Cic. Tusc. 2, 26, 64: documenta in contemnendis animalibus, despicable, contemptible, Plin. 8, 29, 43, § 104.
            Esp. freq. with a negative: (orationes) non contemnendae saneque tolerabiles, Cic. Brut. 79, 273; cf. under II.
        1. b. Poet., of things as subjects, to defy, be safe from, not to fear, to make light of: adamantina saxa ictus contemnere sueta, Lucr. 2, 448; cf. id. 5, 380; 5, 1216; Tib. 1, 3, 37: contemnere ventos, of the island of Delos, because protected from the winds by the surrounding islands, Verg. A. 3, 77; cf. id. G. 2, 360: contemnunt mediam temeraria lina Charybdim, Juv. 5, 102.
    2. B. With personal objects: a te contemni ac despici ac pro nihilo haberi senatum volunt, Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. p. 436, 27: contemni se putant (senes), despici, illudi, id. Sen. 18, 65; id. Off. 2, 10, 36: omnes istos deridete atque contemnite, id. de Or. 3, 14, 54; Sall. H. 1, 41, 24 Dietsch; Liv. 22, 39, 20; Quint. 6, 2, 3: contemnere miser, Hor. S. 2, 3, 14 et saep.
      Se contemnere, to put a small value upon one’s self, to have an humble or low opinion of one’s self. (opp.: sibi satisplacere), Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 41; id. Mil. 4, 6, 21; and inversely: se non contemnere, to have a high regard for or estimate of one’s self, Cic. Att. 12, 21, 5; id. Phil. 13, 7, 15; Liv. 4, 35, 9: nec (Batavi) tributis contemnuntur, are humiliated, Tac. G. 29.
          1. (β) Absol.: quae res illis contemnentibus perniciei fuit, Nep. Thras. 2, 2.
        1. b. In part. fut. pass.: ne T. quidem Postumius contemnendus in dicendo, Cic. Brut. 77, 269; 13, 51; id. Or. 69, 231: copiae neque numero neque genere hominum contemnendae, Caes. B. C. 3, 110: manus, i. e. considerable, Suet. Tib. 25.
  2. II. Esp., to slight, speak contemptuously of, disparage: contempsisti L. Murenae genus, extulisti tuum, Cic. Mur. 7, 15; id. de Or. 1, 17, 75; 3, 16, 59: populi contemnere voces, Sic. Hor. S. 1, 1, 65.
    Hence, contemptus (-temtus), a, um, P. a., despised, despicable, contemptible, vile, abject (class.): comtemptus et abjectus homo, Cic. Agr. 2, 34, 93: contempta ac sordida vita, id. Planc. 5, 12: a vili contemptoque, Quint. 6, 1, 16: res, Hor. C. 3, 16, 25 et saep.
    With dat.: Trebellius per avaritiam ac sordes contemptus exercitui invisusque, Tac. H. 1, 60.
    Comp.: quae vox potest esso contemptior, quam Milonis Crotoniatae? Cic. Sen. 9, 27; id. Phil. 3, 6, 16; id. Div. 2, 57, 117; Suet. Tib. 13; id. Ter. 2.
    Sup.: contemptissimorum consulum levitas, Cic. Sest. 16, 36; so Quint. 12, 2, 2; Suet. Dom. 15.
    Adv.: contemptē (-temtē), contemptibly, despicably; only in comp. contemptius, Sen. Brev. Vit. 12, 1; Suet. Dom. 11 (but not Tac. H. 3, 47; v. contemptim).

2. contemptus (-temt-), ūs, m. [contemno], 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).

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
    1. 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.