Etymology Map
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Abhor

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means to regard with disgust

Where does the word "abhor" come from? It comes from Latin abhorrere, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
abhorrere
Latin · ancient
"to shrink back in horror"
'ab-', from, plus 'horrere', to bristle
2
Stage 2 of 3
abhorrer
Old French · medieval
"to abhor"
borrowed into English around 1400; the Latin root 'horrere' pictured hair bristling in a shudder of disgust
3
Stage 3 of 3
abhor
English · 1400s
"to shrink from"
'nature abhors a vacuum' comes from Aristotle via Latin; the verb is first recorded before 1425 in an English translation of the French surgeon Guy de Chauliac's Latin surgical manual
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Read the full story

Abhor’s story begins in Latin: abhorrere meant “to shrink back in horror.” 'ab-', from, plus 'horrere', to bristle. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as abhorrer. Borrowed into English around 1400; the Latin root 'horrere' pictured hair bristling in a shudder of disgust. It reached English by 1400s as abhor. 'nature abhors a vacuum' comes from Aristotle via Latin; the verb is first recorded before 1425 in an English translation of the French surgeon Guy de Chauliac's Latin surgical manual. Today, abhor means to regard with disgust.