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
- Full of venom; Toxic; poisonous; Noxious; evil
Ancestry of “venomous”, step by step
venomous traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English venemous
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | venemous | Intrinsically venomous; poisonous and able to... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | venimus | — |
| 3 | Old French | venimeux | poisonous; toxic |
| 4 | Old French | venin | — |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | venimen | — |
| 6 | Latin | venīnum | affected by the suffix |
| 7 | Latin | venēnum | a potion, juice |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | weneznom | lust, desire |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wenh₁- | to love |