n.
Pronunciation: kän- ' tü-m ə -l ē , k ə n-, - ' tyü-; ' kän-tü- ˌ m ē -l ē , -tyü- ˌ , -ch ə - ˌ ; in “ Hamlet ” ' kän-( ˌ )tyüm-l ē or ' kän-ch ə m-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -lies
Etymology: Middle English contumelie, from Middle French, from Latin contumelia
Date: 14th century
: harsh language or treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt also : an instance of such language or treatment