macabre

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /məˈkɑb/ UK /ˌməˈkɑː.bɹə/ See IPA manual

Freq #25606

Meanings

1

adj
Disturbing and gruesome, especially because it deals with death.

The novel describes the murder in macabre detail.
2

adj
Strangely fascinated by death or the gruesome.

He has a macabre sense of humour and loves telling stories about graveyards.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · disturbing and gruesome,... ghastly horrifying shocking terrifying

Word family

Derived forms macabrelymacabreness

Etymology

Borrowed from French macabre, whose etymology is uncertain. Possibly from the term danse macabre, most commonly believed to be from corruption of the biblical name Maccabees; compare Latin Chorea Machabaeorum. Another theory derives the French term (through Spanish macabro) from Arabic مَقَابِر (maqābir, “cemeteries”), plural of مَقْبَرَة (maqbara) or مَقْبُرَة (maqbura).

macabro Spanish مَقَابِر Arabic ق ب ر Arabic

View etymology graph ->

External links

# macabre

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /məˈkɑb/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌməˈkɑː.bɹə/
**Frequency rank:** 25606

## Meanings
1. Disturbing and gruesome, especially because it deals with death.
2. Strangely fascinated by death or the gruesome.

## Examples
- The novel describes the murder in macabre detail.
- He has a macabre sense of humour and loves telling stories about graveyards.

## Derived Forms
- macabrely
- macabreness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: macabro
- Root: مَقَابِر
- Root: ق ب ر

## Etymology
Borrowed from French macabre, whose etymology is uncertain. Possibly from the term danse macabre, most commonly believed to be from corruption of the biblical name Maccabees; compare Latin Chorea Machabaeorum. Another theory derives the French term (through Spanish macabro) from Arabic مَقَابِر (maqābir, “cemeteries”), plural of مَقْبَرَة (maqbara) or مَقْبُرَة (maqbura).

## AI Etymology
Macabre is borrowed from French macabre, whose etymology is uncertain. Possibly from the term danse macabre, most commonly believed to be from corruption of the biblical name Maccabees; compare Latin Chorea Machabaeorum. Another theory derives the French term (through Spanish macabro) from Arabic مَقَابِر (maqābir, “cemeteries”), plural of مَقْبَرَة (maqbara) or مَقْبُرَة (maqbura). In present-day use, it can mean disturbing and gruesome, especially because it deals with death, or strangely fascinated by death or the gruesome. Derived formations include macabrely, macabreness.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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macabre

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