Where does “abhorrence” come from?
Abhorrence derives from Middle English -ence, Middle French abhorrer, Latin -entia, Latin ab-, and Proto-Indo-European h₂epó, ultimately meaning to shrink back from in disgust.
abhorrence (English): Extreme aversion or detestation; the feeling of...
Definitions
- Extreme aversion or detestation; the feeling of...
Ancestry of “abhorrence”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | abhorrent | Inconsistent with, or far removed from,... |
| 2 | Latin | abhorrēns | abhorring, shuddering at, recoiling from |
| 3 | Latin | abhorreō | to abhor, shudder at, recoil or shrink back from |
| 4 | Latin | ab- | from, away, away from; off; at a distance |
| 5 | Latin | āb | from, away from, out of |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *ab | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | apó | — |