morsomt
/ˈmuʂːɔmt/
adjective
Origin
German
mordsam — very great, terrific (literally 'murder-like')
Overview
Meaning Now
- funny, amusing, or enjoyable
- in a humorous or entertaining manner
Literal older meaning
related to death (archaic humor theory)
Language path
Old Norse → Middle Norwegian → Norwegian
Earliest form
morsom
Earliest period
18th century
Journey
The word originated from a German intensifier 'mords-', referring to 'murder'. In German, it was used to mean 'terrific' or 'extreme'. Upon adoption into Norwegian, the meaning drifted from 'extreme' to 'interesting' and eventually to 'amusing' or 'funny'.
Evolution
- 16th century German
mordsam
“extreme, terrific”
From 'Mord' (murder) used as an intensifier.
- 18th century Norwegian
morsom
“amusing”
Borrowed as an intensifier, shifted toward 'amusing'.
- Modern Norwegian
morsomt
“funny”
Neuter form of the adjective.
Connections
Word parts
mors-
root
amuse
-om
suffix
suffix forming adjectives
-t
ending
neuter gender suffix
Related across languages
German
mordsmäßig
terrific
Explore next
Related to morsomt
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.