terrible

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

Terrible’s story begins in Latin: terribilis meant “frightful.” From 'terrere', to frighten. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as terrible. Ivan IV of Russia is known in English as 'Ivan the Terrible'. It reached English by 1400s as terrible. The weakened sense 'very bad' dates from the 1800s. Today, terrible means extremely bad or serious.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient terribilis "frightful", from 'terrere', to frighten.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval terrible "frightful", Ivan IV of Russia is known in English as 'Ivan the Terrible'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1400s terrible "causing terror", the weakened sense 'very bad' dates from the 1800s.