cynic

Meanings

Adjective

• cynical (in all senses)
• Relating to the Dog Star.

Noun

• A person who believes that all people are motivated by selfishness.
• A person whose outlook is scornfully negative.

Origin

• From Middle English cynike, cynicke, from Middle French cinicque, from Latin cynicus, from Ancient Greek κυνικός, originally derived from the portico in Athens called Κυνόσαργες, the earliest home of the Cynic school, later reinterpreted as a derivation of κύων, in a contemptuous allusion to the uncouth and aggressive manners adopted by the members of the school.