abhor

English

WOTD - 4 March 2008    

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.

Etymology

First attested in 1449. From Latin abhorreō (“abhor”), from ab (“from, away from”) + horreō (“stand aghast”). Cognate with French abhorrer.

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /əbˈhɔːr/, SAMPA: /@b"hO:r/
• (US) IPA: /əbˈhɔːr/, /æbˈhɔːr/

• Audio (UK)

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• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɔːr

Verb

abhor (third-person singular simple present abhors, present participle abhorring, simple past and past participle abhorred)

1. (transitive) To regard with horror or detestation; to shrink back with shuddering from; to feel excessive repugnance toward; to detest to extremity; to loathe.
   • Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. - Romans 12:9
2. (transitive, obsolete) To fill with horror or disgust.
   • It does abhor me now I speak the word. - Shakespeare, Othello, IV-i
3. (transitive, canon law, obsolete) To protest against; to reject solemnly.
   • I utterly abhor, yea, from my soul Refuse you for my judge. - Shakespeare, Henry VIII, II-iv
4. (intransitive, obsolete) To shrink back with horror, disgust, or dislike; to be contrary or averse; -- with from.
   • To abhor from those vices. - Udall
   • Which is utterly abhorring from the end of all law. - Milton

Synonyms

• hate
• detest
• loathe
• abominate
• See also Wikisaurus:hate

Related terms

• abhorred
• abhorrence
• abhorrency
• abhorrent
• abhorrently
• abhorrer
• abhorrible
• abhorring

Translations

to regard with horror or detestation

Bulgarian: отвращавам се (bg), гнуся се (bg) Chinese: Mandarin: 痛恨 (cmn) (tònghèn) Dutch: verafschuwen, walgen van Esperanto: abomeni (eo) Finnish: inhota (fi) French: détester (fr) German: verabscheuen Hindi: घृणा करना (hi) (ghrinaa karanaa) m. pl. Ido: abominar Japanese: ひどく嫌う (ja) (hidoku kirau) Latin: abhorreō (la)

Norwegian: avsky (no) Polish: czuć odrazę, nie cierpieć Portuguese: abominar (pt) Russian: ненавидеть (ru), питать (ru) отвращение (ru) Scottish Gaelic: gràinich, fuathaich Spanish: aborrecer (es), detestar (es), abominar (es) Swedish: avsky (sv) Thai: เกลียด (glìat), เกลียดชัง (glìat chang), ชัง (chang), ขยะแขยง (kae-ya-kae-yaeng) Turkish: nefret etmek (tr) Welsh: сashau

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Vietnamese: ghê tởm, ghét cay ghét đắng

External links

• abhor in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• abhor in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Shorthand

• Gregg (Version: Centennial,Series 90,DJS,Simplified,Anniversary,Pre-Anniversary): a - b - [dot] o - r