DISCOUNTENANCE

discountenance

(verb) show disapproval by discouraging; “any measure tending to fuse invalids into a class with special privileges should be discountenanced”

discountenance

(verb) look with disfavor on; “The republic soon discountenanced its few friends”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Verb

discountenance (third-person singular simple present discountenances, present participle discountenancing, simple past and past participle discountenanced)

(transitive) To have an unfavorable opinion of; to deprecate or disapprove of.

(transitive) To abash, embarrass or disconcert.

(transitive) To refuse countenance or support to; to discourage.

Noun

discountenance (uncountable)

Cold treatment; disapprobation.

Source: Wiktionary

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Dis*coun"te*nance, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Discountenanced; p. pr. & vb. n. Discountenancing.] Etym: [Pref. dis- + countenance: cf. OF. descontenancer, F. décontenancer.]

1. To ruffle or discompose the countenance of; to put of countenance; to put to shame; to abash. How would one look from his majestic brow . . . Discountenance her despised! Milton. The hermit was somewhat discountenanced by this observation. Sir W. Scott.

2. To refuse to countenance, or give the support of one's approval to; to give one's influence against; to restrain by cold treatment; to discourage. A town meeting was convened to discountenance riot. Bancroft.

Dis*coun"te*nance, n.

Definition: Unfavorable aspect; unfriendly regard; cold treatment; disapprobation; whatever tends to check or discourage. He thought a little discountenance on those persons would suppress that spirit. Clarendon.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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