repugnant
/rɪˈpʌɡnənt/
adjective
Origin
Latin
repugnare — to fight against, oppose
Overview
Meaning Now
- Extremely distasteful; unacceptable.
- In conflict or incompatible with a specified principle or action.
Literal older meaning
fighting back, resisting
Language path
Latin → Middle French → English
Earliest form
repugnaunt
Earliest period
15th century
Journey
The root 'pugn-' is shared with 'pugnacious' and 'impugn', deriving from the Latin noun 'pugnus' (fist). Originally, something 'repugnant' meant it was physically or logically pushing back against one's desires or laws, later evolving into the sense of deep moral or visceral disgust.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
repugnans
“resisting, contradicting”
- Middle French
repugnant
“opposed, contrary”
- Middle English
repugnaunt
“contrary, inconsistent”
- Modern English
repugnant
“distasteful, offensive”
semantic shift toward moral or sensory aversion
Connections
Word parts
re-
prefix
back, against
pugn-
root
to fight
-ant
suffix
forming adjectives from verbs
Related across languages
French
répugnant
repugnant, disgusting
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.