Where does “ferocious” come from?

Ferocious derives from Latin ferox, meaning fierce or wild, from Latin ferus meaning wild, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰwer-.

ferocious (English): Marked by extreme and violent energy; Extreme or...

Definitions

  1. Marked by extreme and violent energy; Extreme or...

Ancestry of “ferocious”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinferoxwild, bold, fierce; defiant, arrogant
2Latinferuswild, savage; uncivilized, uncultivated; untamed,...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰwer-wild; wild animal

Words derived from “ferocious”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰwer- →