Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: deignier, from Latin dignus 'deserving admiration'

deign

 verb
     
deign

deign to do something

to do something that you think you are really too important to do - often used humorously:
Travis called after her, but she didn't deign to answer.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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