Etymologically
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pernicious

Etymology and origin of the English word pernicious

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pəˈnɪʃəs/ (UK); /pɚˈnɪʃəs/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French pernicios and Latin perniciōsus (“destructive, ruinous”),[2][3][4][5][6] from perniciēs “destruction, death”,[2][3][4][5][6] from per- “completely” and nex (genitive necis) “violent death”.[2][3][4][5][6] It is related to noxious.[5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Harmful or fatal (probably before 1425),[3] or of a deed, evil and wicked (early 15th century).[4]

Semantic evolution

From the 1520s the word meant destructive or injurious.[4][7] The sense “wicked” is now archaic or obsolete.[5][7][6] Pernicious anaemia translates a German medical term.[7]

Timeline

  • probably before 1425 – harmful, fatal; wicked.[3][4]
  • 1521 – destructive, ruinous.[7][4]
  • 1555 – harbouring evil designs, now rare.[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Causing great harm, especially in a gradual or insidious way.
  2. Deadly; fatal.
  3. (archaic) Evil or wicked.

Word family

  • perniciously
  • perniciousness
  • pernicious anemia
  • noxious
  • internecine

Usage notes

Merriam-Webster compares pernicious, baneful, noxious, deleterious and detrimental, all meaning exceedingly harmful, and explains that pernicious implies irreparable harm done by insidious corruption or undermining.[5]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Pernicious.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/pernicious. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·