Etymology
Advertisement

ferocity (n.)

c. 1600, from French férocité, from Latin ferocitatem (nominative ferocitas) "fierceness," from ferocis, oblique case of ferox "bold, courageous, warlike; fierce, savage, headstrong, cruel," literally "wild-looking," a derivative of ferus "wild" (from PIE root *ghwer- "wild beast") + -ox (genitive -ocis), a suffix meaning "looking or appearing" (cognate with Greek ōps "eye, sight;" from PIE root *okw- "to see").

Entries linking to ferocity

*ghwer- 

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "wild beast."

It forms all or part of: baluchitherium; feral; ferine; ferocious; ferocity; fierce; ther-; Theropoda; treacle.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Latin ferus "wild, untamed;" Greek thēr, Old Church Slavonic zveri, Lithuanian žvėris "wild beast."

*okw- 

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to see."

It forms all or part of: amblyopia; antique; antler; atrocity; autopsy; binocle; binocular; biopsy; catoptric; Cyclops; daisy; enoptomancy; eye; eyelet; ferocity; hyperopia; inoculate; inveigle; monocle; monocular; myopia; necropsy; ocular; oculist; oculus; oeillade; ogle; ophthalmo-; optic; optician; optics; optometry; panoptic; panopticon; Peloponnesus; pinochle; presbyopia; prosopopeia; stereoptican; synopsis; triceratops; ullage; wall-eyed; window.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit akshi "the eye; the number two," Greek osse "(two) eyes," opsis "a sight;" Old Church Slavonic oko, Lithuanian akis, Latin oculus, Greek okkos, Tocharian ak, ek, Armenian akn "eye."

Advertisement
Advertisement
Definitions of ferocity

ferocity (n.)
the property of being wild or turbulent;
Synonyms: fierceness / furiousness / fury / vehemence / violence / wildness
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near ferocity

fermentation

fermium

fern

fern-tickles

ferocious

ferocity

ferret

ferric

ferrier

Ferris wheel

ferrite

© 2001-2022 Douglas Harper