Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pestilent” come from?

Pestilent derives from Latin pestilens, from pestis meaning plague or disease, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European krewh₂- meaning blood or raw flesh.

pestilent (English): Highly injurious or destructive to life: deadly;...

Definitions

  1. Highly injurious or destructive to life: deadly;...

Ancestry of “pestilent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpestilenspestilential, infected, unhealthy; noxious,...
2Latinpestisa disease, plague; a pest; destruction, ruin,...

Words derived from “pestilent”

  • pestilently
Every word from Latin pestis →