Etymologically
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terrible

Etymology and origin of the French word terrible

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1160, Roman d'Eneas
Borrowed from
Latin terribilis
Ultimate origin
Latin (terreō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin terreo
Latin terrificus
English terrific
Latin terribilis
English terrible
French terrible

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /tɛ.ʁibl/[1]
  • IPA: /te.ʁibl/[1]

Forms

terrible (plural terribles)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin terribilis (“frightening, dreadful, (Late Latin) venerable”), from terreō (“to frighten”) (see terreur).[2][3][4][5][6][1] In the Code of Justinian (6th century) the Latin word meant “venerable”.[2]

Compare Old Occitan terrible, Spanish terrible, Portuguese terrível and Italian terribile.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Roman d'Eneas (about 1160; about 1130 according to Rey and the GLLF) has mostres terribles “terrifying monsters”.[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

Borrowed by the literary language in the strong Latin sense, it has been much weakened since the end of the 16th century.[3] Montaigne (1580) uses it for extreme intensity, La Noue (1587) of people, and Montaigne again (1588) for something remarkable of its kind (une terrible estandue), a vague superlative much used by the précieux.[2][3] La Fontaine (1669) uses le terrible as a noun for the terror aroused by tragedy.[2] Molière has femme terrible (1672) and Furetière, approvingly, un terrible homme (1690); Les Enfants terribles is a title of 1841.[2] Recently it has been revived as an intensive, “great, terrific”, and pas terrible means mediocre.[3][1]

Timeline

  • c. 1160 – Mostres terribles, Eneas.[2]
  • 1580 – Of extreme intensity, Montaigne.[2]
  • 1587 – Of people, La Noue.[2]
  • 1669 – Le terrible, in tragedy, La Fontaine.[2]
  • 1672 – Femme terrible, Molière.[2]
  • 1841 – Les Enfants terribles.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. terrible, dreadful, frightening: un cri terrible, une terrible catastrophe.[5][2]
  2. Extreme, tremendous: un vent terrible, une peur terrible.[2][3]
  3. Unbearable, very trying: un enfant terrible.[5]
  4. (familiar) Great, terrific: c'est un film terrible, pas terrible, not great, mediocre.[1][3]

Word family

  • terriblement

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d 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. 13/1, 263a
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Terrible.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/terrible. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·