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Today it means

fastidious

very attentive to detail

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Where does the word "fastidious" come from? It comes from Latin fastidiosus, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

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Where does the word "fastidious" come from? It comes from Latin fastidiosus, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Fastidious’s story begins in Latin: fastidiosus meant “disdainful.” From 'fastidium', loathing. It reached English by 1400s as fastidious. The sense 'fussy about detail' dates from the 1600s. Today, fastidious means very attentive to detail.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient fastidiosus "disdainful", from 'fastidium', loathing.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s fastidious "disdainful", the sense 'fussy about detail' dates from the 1600s.

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