Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “venomous” come from?

Venomous comes from Middle English venemous, from Anglo-Norman venimus and Old French venimeux, derived from Old French venim meaning poison, ultimately from Latin venenum with the adjectival suffix -osus.

venomous (English): Full of venom; Toxic; poisonous; Noxious; evil

Definitions

  1. Full of venom; Toxic; poisonous; Noxious; evil

Ancestry of “venomous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishvenemousIntrinsically venomous; poisonous and able to...
2Anglo-Normanvenimus—
3Old Frenchvenimeuxpoisonous; toxic
4Old Frenchvenin—
5Vulgar Latinvenimen—
6Latinvenīnum—
7Latinvenēnum—
8Proto-Italicweneznomlust, desire
9Proto-Indo-Europeanwenh₁-to love

Words derived from “venomous”

  • venomously
  • nonvenomous
  • venomousness
  • antivenomous
  • unvenomous
  • non-venomous
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wenh₁- →