Etymology
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terrible (adj.)

late 14c., "causing terror, awe, or dread; frightful," from Old French terrible (12c.), from Latin terribilis "frightful," from terrere "fill with fear," from PIE root *tros- "to make afraid" (source also of Sanskrit trasanti "to tremble, be afraid," Avestan tarshta "scared, afraid," Greek treëin "to tremble, be afraid," Lithuanian trišėti "to tremble, shiver," Old Church Slavonic treso "I shake," Middle Irish tarrach "timid"). Weakened sense of "very bad, awful" is first attested 1590s.

Entries linking to terrible

deter (v.)

1570s, "discourage and stop by fear," from Latin deterrere "to frighten from, discourage from," from de "away" (see de-) + terrere "frighten, fill with fear" (see terrible). Meaning "stop or prevent from acting or proceeding by any countervailing motive" is from 1590s. Related: Deterred; deterring.

deterrent 

1829, adjective ("having the power or tendency to deter") and noun ("that which deters or tends to deter"), in Bentham, from Latin deterrentem, present participle of deterrere "to frighten from, discourage from," from de "away" (see de-) + terrere "frighten, fill with fear" (see terrible). In reference to nuclear weapons, from 1954.

updated on January 26, 2018

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Dictionary entries near terrible

terraqueous

terrarium

terrazzo

terrene

terrestrial

terrible

terribly

terrier

terrific

terrify

terrine

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