The history of the word "abhor" begins in late Middle English, borrowed from the Latin verb abhorrēre, which means "to recoil from" or "to shudder at". It is a combination of the prefix ab- ("from, away") and the verb horrēre ("to bristle, shiver, or shudder"). This etymology explains the word's meaning of intense disgust and its relationship to words like "horror".
Origin: The word's history traces back to the Middle English period, first appearing before 1425. It was borrowed from the Latin abhorrēre.
Latin roots: Abhorrēre is a compound of ab- ("from, away") and horrēre ("to bristle, shiver, or shudder").
Related words: The horr- part of abhor is directly related to the word "horror," which comes from the same Latin root horrēre.
Meaning: The literal meaning of "to shudder or recoil from" evolved into the modern sense of "to loathe," "to detest," or "to regard with repugnance"
on October 31, 2025, 12:28 am
