Where does “direfulness” come from?
direfulness (English) comes from English direful, from English dire, from Latin dirus, from Proto-Italic deiros, from Proto-Indo-European dwey- — to fear.
direfulness (English): Quality of being direful
Ancestry of “direfulness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | direful | Fearful, terrible |
| 2 | English | dire | Warning of bad consequences: ill-boding;... |
| 3 | Latin | dirus | fearful; ominous; dreadful, detestable |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | deiros | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dwey- | to fear |