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Where does the word "ugly" come from? It comes from Old Norse uggligr, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).
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Where does the word "ugly" come from? It comes from Old Norse uggligr, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).
Ugly’s story begins in Old Norse: uggligr meant “fearsome, dreadful.” Literally dreadful, from uggr (fear, dread). It reached English by 1200s as ugly. Softened over time from dreadful to simply unattractive. Today, ugly means unpleasant or unattractive in appearance.
- Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval uggligr "fearsome, dreadful", literally dreadful, from uggr (fear, dread).
- Stage 2 · English · 1200s ugly "unpleasant to look at", softened over time from dreadful to simply unattractive.