DictionaryRoot: horrere
Latin
horrere
bristle, stand on end, or shudder
Forms
- horrere
- horr- — Used before other endings.
Origin
An inherited Latin word associated with roughness or raised bristles.
Note
Hair standing on end provided a physical image for fear or revulsion.
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adjective
horrendous
huh-REN-dus/həˈrendəs/
Extremely bad or frightening.
Etymology
The shuddering root and gerundive ending give the literal idea “to be shuddered at.” This makes extreme badness or unpleasantness something described as provoking a physical reaction of dread.