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perniciosus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word perniciosus

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Rhetorica ad Herennium
Ultimate origin
Latin (nex)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [pɛr.nɪ.kiˈoː.sʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [per.ni.t͡ʃiˈɔː.s̬us][1]

Forms

perniciōsus (feminine perniciōsa, neuter perniciōsum, comparative perniciōsior, superlative perniciōsissimus); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from perniciēs “destruction” with the suffix -ōsus.[2][1][3][4] Tacitus has ⟨permitiōsus⟩.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is the Rhetorica ad Herennium, which he dates 86/82 BC.[5] The OLD's earliest citations are from Cicero.[2]

Semantic evolution

It meant destructive of life or health, deadly, as in Cicero, and of other things ruinous, fatal, pernicious, as Caesar's perniciōsae lēgēs “ruinous laws”.[2][6][7]

British Medieval Latin used it for pernicious, deadly, of persons, illnesses and acts.[8] It survives in Italian and Spanish pernicioso and French pernicieux, and Old French pernicios gave English pernicious in the early 15th century, “evil, wicked”.[1][4]

Timeline

  • 86/82 BC – The Rhetorica ad Herennium uses it.[5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the deadly.[2][5]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of ruinous laws.[6][5]
  • early 15th century – English pernicious is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Deadly, destructive.[2]
  2. Ruinous, pernicious.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Perniciosus.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/perniciosus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·