Etymologically
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horrible

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:18. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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)