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Today it means

atrocity

an extremely wicked act

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Where does the word "atrocity" come from? It comes from Latin atrocitas, and was adopted directly into English (1530s).

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Where does the word "atrocity" come from? It comes from Latin atrocitas, and was adopted directly into English (1530s).

Atrocity’s story begins in Latin: atrocitas meant “fierceness.” From 'atrox', savage, possibly 'black-looking'. It reached English by 1530s as atrocity. Wartime 'atrocities' date from the 1800s. Today, atrocity means an extremely wicked act.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient atrocitas "fierceness", from 'atrox', savage, possibly 'black-looking'.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1530s atrocity "savagery", wartime 'atrocities' date from the 1800s.

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