absurd
/əbˈsɜːd/
adjective
Origin
Latin
absurdus — dissonant, harsh, ridiculous
Overview
Meaning Now
- Wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate.
- Ridiculously incongruous or irrational.
Literal older meaning
out of tune or dissonant
Language path
Latin → Middle French → English
Earliest form
absurde
Earliest period
16th century
Journey
The term originated in music, describing a performance so discordant or out of tune that it was 'deafening' or painful to hear. It later expanded to denote any argument or idea that lacked logical harmony.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
ab-surdus
“out of tune, deaf”
Literally 'from' (ab) + 'deaf' (surdus), often implying a sound so harsh it makes one deaf.
- Middle French
absurde
“unreasonable, discordant”
- Early Modern English
absurd
“irrational, contrary to reason”
Connections
Word parts
ab-
prefix
away from
surdus
root
deaf, dull, silent
Related across languages
French
absurde
absurd
Spanish
absurdo
absurd
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Related to absurd
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.