contemptus mundi

English

Etymology

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.

Noun

contemptus mundi (uncountable)

1. Contempt for worldly concerns or secular life.

Further reading

• “contemptus mundi, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.