Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hideous” come from?

Hideous comes from Middle English hidous, from Anglo-Norman hidous, from Old French hideus, from Old French hisdos, from Old French hisda.

hideous (English): Extremely or shockingly ugly; Having a very...

Definitions

  1. Extremely or shockingly ugly; Having a very...

Ancestry of “hideous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhidousterrifying, frightening; hideous, horrible,...
2Anglo-NormanhidousAlternative form of hideus
3Old Frenchhideusugly; hideous

Words derived from “hideous”

  • hideously
  • hideousness
  • hideosity
  • hideola
  • unhideous
Every word from Old French hideus →