orgulous

Inherited from Middle English orgulous, orgeilous, derived from Old French orgueilleus, orgoillus (“proud”), from orgoill, orgueil (“pride”), from Old Dutch *urgol (“pride”). Cognate with Old High German urguol (“excellent”), Old English orgol (“pride”). Perhaps from a Proto-West Germanic *uʀgōllju; compare Old English or- (“out”), *gōl (“boast; showiness; pomp; splendor”) (related to Old English galan (“to sing”), whence Modern English gale).

Also, possibly, in part from Old French orgoill, derived from Vulgar Latin *orgōllia, *orgōlla, from Proto-West Germanic *orgōllja, from the same Proto-Germanic source. Cognate with Old High German urguol, urguoli, urgilo (“pride”), Italian orgoglio, Spanish orgullo, Portuguese orgulho, among many other Romance cognates.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːɡjʊləs/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɹɡjələs/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: or‧gul‧ous

orgulous (comparative more orgulous, superlative most orgulous)

1. (literary, archaic)
   1. Arrogant, haughty, proud.

      Synonyms: disdainful, prideful; see also Thesaurus:arrogant

      • [1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum IV”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book II (in Middle English), [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC, page 52:

        At that time there was a knight, the which was the king's son of Ireland, and his name was Lanceor, the which was an orgulous knight, and counted himself one of the best of the court; and he had great despite at Balin for the achieving of the sword, that any should be accounted more hardy, or of more prowess.

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)]

      • c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida. The Prologue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC:

        In Troy there lyes the Scene: From Iles of Greece / The Princes Orgillous, their high blood chaf'd / Haue to the Port of Athens ſent their ſhippes / […] their vovv is made / To ranſacke Troy, vvithin vvhoſe ſtrong emures / The rauiſh'd Helen, Menelaus Queene, / VVith vvanton Paris ſleepes, and that's the Quarrell.

      • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 1: Telemachus]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC, part I [Telemachia], page 14:

        Then spoke young Stephen orgulous of mother Church that would cast him out of her bosom.

      • 1966, Eric Walter White, Stravinsky the Composer and his Works‎^[1], University of California Press, page 5:

        Her nephew describes her as 'an orgulous and despotic woman', and it is clear that he noticed and resented her numerous unkindnesses.

      • 1975, Georgette Heyer, My Lord John‎^[2], Arrow Books, published 2011, →ISBN, pages 14–15:

        They knew that my lord of Arundel had grown so orgulous that he had lately dared to marry the Earl of March's sister, without license.

   2. (rare) Ostentatious; showy.
2. (obsolete)
   1. Swollen; augmented; excessive.
      • 1967, John T. Sladek, Masterson and the Clerks, reprinted in Best SF Stories from New Worlds 4, edited by Michael Moorcock

        The smile became an orange balloon, orgulous and threatening.

   2. Dangerous, threatening.

• orgillous, orgueilous

• orgulously

• orgueil