contemptus mundi

noun

Contempt for worldly concerns or secular life.

OriginEcclesiastical Latin contemptus mundī →
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Meanings

nouncontemptus mundi (uncountable)
  1. uncountableContempt for worldly concerns or secular life.

Origin

  1. Ecclesiastical Latincontemptus mundī
  2. Englishcontemptus mundi

Unadapted borrowing from Ecclesiastical Latin contemptus mundī (literally “contempt for the world”), as used in works such as Bernard of Cluny’s De contemptu mundi. First attested in the mid-19th century in English.

More words from Ecclesiastical Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

contemptus mundi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contemptus%20mundi

MLA

“contemptus mundi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contemptus%20mundi. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “contemptus mundi,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contemptus%20mundi.

Source: contemptus mundi on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.