Where does “pernicious” come from?
Pernicious comes from Old French pernicios, from Latin perniciosus, combining Latin per- (through) and the root neḱ- (to kill or harm) with the suffix -osus (full of), meaning destructive or fatal.
pernicious (English): Causing much harm in a subtle way; Causing death...
Definitions
- Causing much harm in a subtle way; Causing death...
Ancestry of “pernicious”, step by step
Words derived from “pernicious”