Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
abhominable. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
abhominable, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
abhominable in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
abhominable you have here. The definition of the word
abhominable will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
abhominable, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
First attested in the 1300s, a variant of abominable, influenced by Latin ab + homine (“man”);[1] compare abhominal. The unnecessary addition of h to words was once common; compare abholish (abolish). Abandoned by the 1600s.[2] Compare also abhomination.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /əbˈhɒmɪnəbəl/, /əˈbɒmɪnəbəl/
Adjective
abhominable (comparative more abhominable, superlative most abhominable)
- Obsolete form of abominable.
1597, Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost, act 5, scene I:This is abhominable, which he [Don Armado] would call abominable.
1951, w:C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian, chapter XIII:[...] your Lordship twice guilty of treachery both in withholding the dominion of Narnia from the said Caspian and in the most abhominable, —don’t forget to spell it with an H, Doctor— bloody, and unnatural murder of your kindly lord and brother King Caspian Ninth of that name.
References
- ^ Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 , →ISBN), page 3
- ^ Elliott K. Dobbie, C. William Dunmore, Robert K. Barnhart, et al. (editors), Chambers Dictionary of Etymology (Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2004 , →ISBN), page 4
Middle English
Adjective
abhominable
- Alternative form of abhomynable