horreo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈhɔr.re.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɔr.re.o]^[1]

Forms

horreō (present infinitive horrēre, perfect active horruī); second conjugation, no supine stem, third person-only in the passive^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *hors-ē- (“to be stiff”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰr̥s-éh₁- (“to be stiff, bristle”), from the root *ǵʰers- “to bristle”.^[2][1] Cognate with Sanskrit हृष्यति (hṛ́ṣyati, “bristles, is excited”), Sanskrit हर्षते (hárṣate, “is delighted”) and Old Irish garb (“rough”).^[2][3][4] De Vaan thinks the noun horror was derived from the verb, since the meanings go from “bristle” to “shudder”.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus.^[2] Ennius speaks of the bristling spears of men, and of a plain that shines and bristles with long spears.^[3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC and Ennius 204–169 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Its concrete sense was to stand stiffly erect, of hair, weapons or other points, and to be covered with them, to bristle.^[3] From that it meant to look rough or unkempt, and to shiver or shudder, especially with cold, as the ground bristles with frost in Cicero.^[3][6] As a transitive verb it meant to shudder at, dread, and to regard gods with awe.^[3]

Its derivatives horror, horribilis and horridus gave English horror (early 14th century), English horrible (about 1300) and English horrid (early 15th century, first “bristling”).^[7] abhorreō “to shrink back from” gave English abhor about 1400.^[7] The verb itself survives in Italian orrire.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][5]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius speaks of bristling spears.^[3][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero says the earth bristles with frost.^[6][5]
• c. 1400 – English abhor is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To stand stiffly erect, bristle.^[3]
2. To be covered with points, bristle.^[3]
3. To look rough or unkempt.^[3]
4. To shudder, shiver.^[3]
5. (transitive) To shudder at, dread.^[3]
6. To regard (gods) with awe.^[3]

Word family

• abhorreō
• adhorreo
• exhorreō
• horrentia
• horribilis
• horricomis
• horridus
• horripilō
• horrisonus
• horror
• inhorreō
• perhorreō

Related words

• horridē
• horridulus
• horrificābilis
• horrificē
• horrificō
• horrificus
• horripilātiō
• English horror
• English abhor

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com