A snob exhibits boorish or bossy behavior towards those they consider inferior, often showing contempt for those in lower social circles. They may use their sophistication or knowledge to demean others. The term may have originated from a ship’s manifest or from Oxford College slang. A snob assumes their status entitles them to be dismissive of others, appearing as an elitist or condescending expert.
There are those who feel a natural sense of superiority over others, whether it be in physical prowess, intellectual ability, social standing or financial status. A snob, however, generally crosses the line and exhibits boorish or bossy behavior towards those he considers inferior. A rich person may enjoy the finer things in life, but a snob loves to watch others suffer for it. He often shows contempt for those in lower social circles.
That’s not to say that snobs don’t have real expertise in their chosen fields, but they often use their sophistication or arcane knowledge to demean others. These people may not even realize they seem effeminate or snobbish, but others may recognize the characteristics immediately. One could be described as a fashion snob, a wine snob or a social snob, depending on the circumstances. The defining characteristic between an expert and a snob may be the difference between being opinionated and judgmental. A wine connoisseur may have strong opinions about a certain vintage, for example, but a wine snob would appear outraged if a guest opens a bad bottle.
The origin of the term is a bit murky, and also ironic. One theory is that a ship’s manifest often contained a complete list of passengers, along with some notations about their social status, countries of origin, and so on. Passengers who were not part of the social elite would be marked as sine nobilitati, Latin for “without nobility”. The notation was said to be shortened to “snob” in the margins of small guest logs. This practice would ensure that only the most socially recognized guests would be seated near the captain during meal times.
Another theory suggests that the term was popularized by students at England-based elite Oxford College. Students would routinely identify others as fellow students or uneducated local citizens (snobs). It may help to understand that the Scottish name for a cobbler was snab, and English corruption has become “snob”. It is possible that Oxford students were using the slang for cobbler as a social shorthand for all working-class citizens.
Ironically, a term generally used to describe the lower social classes has now become a pejorative term for those who take an upper-class attitude. In essence, a snob assumes that his social, financial, or educational status entitles him to be dismissive of others. He or she may appear as an elitist or as a condescending expert, which naturally provokes the ire of others around him or her. Etymologically speaking however, this is really someone who is playing out of the real social depth of her.
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