Contempt is a complex emotion (not among the original six emotions as classified by Paul Ekman, namely: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness and surprise) and is a mix of the basic emotions disgust and anger. The word originated in 1393, from the Latin word contemptus meaning "scorn". It is the past participle of contemnere and from com- intensive prefix + temnere "to slight, scorn". The origin is uncertain. Contemptuous appeared in 1529.Robert C. Solomon places contempt on the same continuum as resentment and anger, and he argues that the differences between the three are that resentment is directed toward a higher-status individual; anger is directed toward an equal-status individual; and contempt is directed toward a lower-status individual.