abhor

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /æbˈhɔɹ/ UK /əbˈhɔː/ See IPA manual

Freq #33713

Meanings

1

verb
To hate something deeply; to find it utterly disgusting.

I absolutely abhor being stuck in traffic for hours.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to hate something deeply;... detest hate loathe execrate

Word family

Forms abhorredabhors

Derived forms abhorrableabhorration

Related forms abhorredabhorrence abhorrency abhorrent abhorrently abhorrer abhorrible abhorring

Appears in

Proverbs (1)

See all

Nature abhors a vacuum

Etymology

First attested in 1449, from Middle English abhorren, borrowed from Middle French abhorrer, from Latin abhorreō (“shrink away from in horror”), from ab- (“from”) + horreō (“stand aghast, bristle with fear”).

*ǵʰers- Proto-Indo-European abhorren Middle English abhorrer Middle French abhorreō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# abhor

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /æbˈhɔɹ/
**IPA (UK):** /əbˈhɔː/
**Frequency rank:** 33713

## Meanings
1. To hate something deeply; to find it utterly disgusting.

## Examples
- I absolutely abhor being stuck in traffic for hours.

## Derived Forms
- abhorrable
- abhorration

## Related Forms
- abhorred
- abhorrence
- abhorrency
- abhorrent
- abhorrently
- abhorrer
- abhorrible
- abhorring

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ǵʰers-
- Root: abhorren
- Root: abhorrer
- Root: abhorreō

## Etymology
First attested in 1449, from Middle English abhorren, borrowed from Middle French abhorrer, from Latin abhorreō (“shrink away from in horror”), from ab- (“from”) + horreō (“stand aghast, bristle with fear”).

## AI Etymology
Abhor is first attested in 1449, from Middle English abhorren, borrowed from Middle French abhorrer, from Latin abhorreō (“shrink away from in horror”), from ab- (“from”) + horreō (“stand aghast, bristle with fear”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern verbal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include *ǵʰers- (Proto-Indo-European), abhorren (Middle English), abhorrer (Middle French), and abhorreō (Latin). Current senses include to hate something deeply; to find it utterly disgusting. The wider family includes derived forms such as abhorrable and abhorration and related words such as abhorred, abhorrence, abhorrency, abhorrent, and abhorrently.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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