'put-down' originates from the English phrase 'put down,' where 'put' meant 'to place' and 'down' indicated 'lowering or reducing.'

'put down' changed from the literal action of placing something down to a figurative sense of lowering someone's esteem through words, eventually becoming the modern English noun 'put-down.'

Initially, it meant 'to place something down,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a remark intended to humiliate or criticize someone.'