Etymologically
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horrible

Etymology and origin of the French word horrible

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
early 12th century, Benedeit, Voyage de saint Brendan
Borrowed from
Latin horribilis
Ultimate origin
Latin (horreō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin horribilis
French horrible

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɔ.ʁibl/[1]

Forms

horrible (plural horribles)[1] Old French also orrible, orible.[1][2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin horribilis (“dreadful, terrifying; astonishing”), from horreō (“to bristle; to shudder”).[3][4][5][6] Cognate with Italian orribile, Spanish horrible and Portuguese horrível.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Benedeit's Voyage de saint Brendan (early 12th century) has it for what makes one shudder with horror; the GLLF and the Grand Robert cite the Vie de saint Gilles (about 1138).[3][5][4]

Semantic evolution

Froissart (about 1360) applies it to what is morally revolting.[5] By exaggeration Rabelais uses it for “very great, enormous” (1534), and in Vaugelas (1647) it is said of something excessive.[3][5] Molière has it for “very bad, detestable” in Les Femmes savantes (1672), and Furetière (1690) for “very ugly”.[3][5]

Timeline

  • Early 12th century – Benedeit's Voyage de saint Brendan.[3]
  • c. 1360 – Of what is morally revolting, in Froissart.[5]
  • 1534 – “Enormous”, in Rabelais.[3]
  • 1672 – “Very bad”, in Molière.[3]
  • 1690 – “Very ugly”, in Furetière.[5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Horrible, dreadful: causing horror or disgust: une mort horrible, des cris horribles.[8][9]
  2. Morally revolting: une horrible perfidie.[10][5]
  3. Very ugly or very bad: un temps horrible, un mobilier horrible.[8][10]
  4. Excessive: il fait une chaleur horrible.[8][7]
  5. Of a person, nasty, unpleasant: il a été horrible avec moi.[10]

Word family

  • horriblement

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 485b
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Horrible.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/horrible. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·