entry
pompous
/ˈpɒmpəs/Affectedly grand, self-important, ostentatious
From Latin via Greek pomp (display).
from Latin pompa "pomp" (see pomp ). More literal (but less common) meaning "characterized by magnificence and dignity"...
+1 more sourcefrom Old French pompos (14c., Modern French pompeux ) and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Old French pompos (14c., Modern French pompeux ) and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English pompous
Word Ancestry
from Latin pompa "pomp" (see pomp ). More literal (but less common) meaning "characterized by magnificence and dignity"...
+1 more sourcefrom Old French pompos (14c., Modern French pompeux ) and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Old French pompos (14c., Modern French pompeux ) and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English pompous
This is one of those words that still carries the glitter of a parade. In Greek, the ancestor of Latin pompa was a “sending” or a solemn procession — think torches, robes, and all the machinery of public grandeur, not mere bragging. By the time Church Latin got hold of it, the word had picked up a faint sneer, a way of saying, in effect, “too much velvet, not enough humility.” English then inherited that side-eye in the late 1300s, and it eventually spawned the very modern insult we use for people who sound as if they’re arriving on a golden litter. Even its respectable cousins — pomp, pomposity, and pompousness — feel like they’re wearing too much jewelry.
The Story
This is one of those words that still carries the glitter of a parade. In Greek, the ancestor of Latin pompa was a “sending” or a solemn procession — think torches, robes, and all the machinery of public grandeur, not mere bragging. By the time Church Latin got hold of it, the word had picked up a faint sneer, a way of saying, in effect, “too much velvet, not enough humility.” English then inherited that side-eye in the late 1300s, and it eventually spawned the very modern insult we use for people who sound as if they’re arriving on a golden litter. Even its respectable cousins — pomp, pomposity, and pompousness — feel like they’re wearing too much jewelry.
Modern Usage
A person acting arrogantly or as if morally superior.
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary
Kin & Kindred
From 'pomp'·display; procession; magnificence
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary