Condescend: to stoop or descend; to let one's self down; to submit; to waive the privilege of rank or dignity; to accommodate one's self to an inferior.
Condescension: The act of condescending; voluntary descent from one's rank or dignity in intercourse with an inferior; courtesy toward inferiors.
Language is a funny thing. Words take on very different meaning depending on the society that is using them.
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States:--And no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.
-- The Constitution of the United States of America, Article I, Section 9
The United States of America is a classless society as part of its constitution. There are other definitions of the word class that still apply but as a formally acknowledged element that provides legal exemptions and privileges the Founding Fathers deliberately excised that particular feature from our society. Condescending behavior was magnanimous once upon a time. No longer. In the modern era this term is used exclusively to describe one person acting as though they are being gracious by interacting with another in some fashion or in general. While the existence of implicit social hierarchies is universally acknowledged implying a debt of gratitude for one's presence is beyond the bounds of civility. In contemporary society one does not speak of one's betters or one's inferiors even if they still subscribe to that view. Condescending expresses an elitist outlook. The word elitist first showed up in 1938. I'm pretty sure the notion existed before then but it's kind of sobering to consider how recently our modern notions of social obligation formed.
I think it's easy and natural to view the societies of the past with a certain amount of disgust. This is a pretty reasonable take. The past was actually pretty disgusting along nearly every axis we can measure. I'll take microplastics in my lungs over tuberculosis. Indoor plumbing rocks. Morally, I think we're also ahead. Differences in physical, mental, social, and financial capacities still separate people yet we encourage people to interact as though they didn't. As much as this might paper over some problems it seems like this is way more healthy. At the same time I can't help but notice that I'm looking down on those times with a sense of self-righteous scorn. The past is a foreign country that I condescendingly try to understand.
IRON NODER XVII: ALL'S FERROUS IN LOVE AND NODING