Etymologically
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glorious

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɡlɔː.ɹi.əs/ (UK); /ˈɡloɹ.i.əs/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-Norman glorious, Old French glorieus, glorious, blessed,[2][3][4] from Latin glōriōsus (“full of glory, famous; boastful”), from glōria (see glory).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Full of glory, illustrious: the late 13th century in Etymonline;[2] boastful, proud, 1382 in the OED.[5]

Semantic evolution

In classical Latin, and in English from the late 14th to the 17th century, it could also mean boastful or vainglorious;[2][5] eager for glory is an obsolete sense of 1608.[5] Splendid in beauty or adornment is from the 14th century.[5] Of an achievement, conferring glory, it is from 1548,[5] and as a rapturous expression of delight, splendid, from 1623.[5] Middle English compared it as gloriouser, gloriousest.[2] The Glorious Fourth, the Fourth of July, is an American use.[5] Collins records an informal sense, drunk,[6] and in Aberdeenshire Scots glorious meant excited by drink.[7]

Timeline

  • late 13th century – illustrious.[2]
  • 1382 – boastful (obsolete).[5]
  • 1548 – conferring glory.[5]
  • 1623 – splendid, delightful.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Having or deserving glory; famous.
  2. Bringing glory: a glorious victory.
  3. Very beautiful; magnificent.
  4. Delightful; wonderful: glorious weather.

Word family

  • gloriously
  • gloriousness
  • inglorious
  • superglorious
  • unglorious

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)