abominable English · revision 2170

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /əˈbɑm.ə.nə.bl̩/, /əˈbɑm.nə.bl̩/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fro|abominable]]^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(AHD) and [[der|la-lat|abominabilis|t=deserving abhorrence]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) from the stem of [[la|abominari|t=to deplore as an evil omen]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) from [[la|ab|t=off, away from]] and ''omen'', stem ''omin-''.^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) The usual Middle English spelling was ''abhominable'',^(AHD)^(Etymonline) a folk etymology that took the word as if from Latin ''ab homine'' “away from man”, that is, inhuman or beastly.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Exciting disgust or loathing; morally detestable (mid-14th century; 1340 in Barnhart).^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Latin verb behind it meant to pray that something ill-omened be averted, and so came to mean to detest.^(RHWU)^(Etymonline) The false link with ''homo'' “man” gave the word an air of something unnatural or inhuman, and the spelling ''abhominable'' lasted into the 17th century.^(Etymonline) From 1860 it was also used loosely for anything very unpleasant,^(OED 1989) as in ''abominable weather''.^(MW Collegiate) The ''Abominable Snowman'' of the Himalayas is named in 1921,^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) a translation of a Tibetan name.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1340 – first recorded.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1366 – of things, exciting disgust and hatred.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1382 – of persons.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1477 – as an adverb, an intensive like ''terribly''.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1860 – loosely, very unpleasant.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1921 – ''Abominable Snowman''.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Thoroughly hateful; arousing disgust or loathing.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Very unpleasant or disagreeable.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Very bad or inferior in quality.^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[abominably]]

+ * [[abominableness]]

+ * [[abominable snowman]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[abominate]]

+ * [[abomination]]

+ * [[omen]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}