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Where does the word "horrendous" come from? It comes from Latin horrendus, and was adopted directly into English (1650s).
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Where does the word "horrendous" come from? It comes from Latin horrendus, and was adopted directly into English (1650s).
Horrendous’s story begins in Latin: horrendus meant “fearful.” Gerundive of 'horrere', to bristle. It reached English by 1650s as horrendous. 'horrendous traffic' dates from the 1900s. Today, horrendous means extremely unpleasant.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient horrendus "fearful", gerundive of 'horrere', to bristle.
- Stage 2 · English · 1650s horrendous "dreadful", 'horrendous traffic' dates from the 1900s.