terrible
/ˈtɛr.ɪ.bəl/
adjective
Origin
Latin
terrēre — to frighten
Overview
Meaning Now
- causing or likely to cause terror; very frightening.
- of very poor quality; extremely bad.
- very intense or severe.
Literal older meaning
able to cause terror
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
terrible
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word originally carried a sense of 'awe-inspiring' or 'divine terror' before shifting towards a more general sense of 'bad' or 'unpleasant' in later English usage.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*ters-
“to shake, tremble”
- Latin
terrēre
“to fill with fear”
- Latin
terribilis
“frightening”
- Old French
terrible
“frightening”
- Middle English
terrible
“frightful, awe-inspiring”
Connections
Word parts
terr-
root
fear
-ible
suffix
capable of
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.