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conceit definition

con·ceit (kən sēt)

noun

  1. Obsolete
    1. an idea; thought; concept
    2. personal opinion
  2. an exaggerated opinion of oneself, one's merits, etc.; vanity
  3. Etymology: < It concetto, of same ult. orig.

    1. a fanciful or witty expression or notion; often, specif., a striking and elaborate metaphor, sometimes one regarded, esp. formerly, as strained and arbitrary
    2. the use of such expressions in writing or speaking
  4. a flight of imagination; fancy
  5. a small, imaginatively designed item

Etymology: ME conceite < conceiven, conceive

transitive verb

  1. Obsolete to think or imagine
  2. Brit., Dialectal to think well of; take a fancy to

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