abominable

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a·bom·i·na·ble / əˈbäm(ə)nəbəl/ • adj. causing moral revulsion: abominable cruelty. ∎ inf. very unpleasant.DERIVATIVES: a·bom·i·na·bly / -blē/ adv.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

abominable

views updated May 23 2018

abominable XIV. — (O)F. — ecclL. abōminābilis, f. abōminārī deprecate as an ill omen, f. AB- + ōmen, ōmin- OMEN; see -ABLE. In medL., OF., and Eng. (XIV–XVII) commonly spelt abhom-, being regarded as f. ab and homō, homin- man, quasi ‘inhuman’.
So abominate3 XVII. f. pp. stem of L. abōminārī. abomination XIV. — (O)F.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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