pernicious

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French pernicios, from Latin perniciosus (“destructive”), from pernicies (“destruction”), from per (“through”) + nex (“slaughter, death”)

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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  Rhymes: -ɪʃəs

Adjective

pernicious (comparative more pernicious, superlative most pernicious)

1. Causing much harm in a subtle way.
   • 1911, Emma Goldman, The Hypocrisy of Puritanism,

     Puritanism no longer employs the thumbscrew and lash; but it still has a most pernicious hold on the minds and feelings of the American people.

2. Causing death or injury; deadly.

Synonyms

• attery

Related terms

• pernicious anaemia

Translations

causing much harm

• Bulgarian: пагубен (bg) (páguben)
• Dutch: schadelijk (nl), destructief (nl)
• Finnish: turmiollinen, haitallinen, tuhoisa
• French: nocif (fr), malsain (fr), pernicieux (fr)
• German: schädlich (de), bösartig (de), verderblich (de), (medicine) perniziös (de)
• Greek: ολέθριος (el) (oléthrios) m
• Italian: pernicioso (it)

• Macedonian: погубен (mk) (póguben) m
• Romanian: pernicios (ro), vătămător (ro), dăunător (ro)
• Russian: тлетворный (ru) (tletvórnyj), пагубный (ru) (págubnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sgriosail (gd)
• Spanish: pernicioso (es)
• Turkish: habis (tr), muzır (tr), (medicine) pernisiyöz (tr), zararlı (tr)

causing death or injury

• Bulgarian: гибелен (bg) (gíbelen), пагубен (bg) (páguben)
• Dutch: dodelijk (nl), schadelijk (nl)
• Finnish: tappava (fi)
• French: nocif (fr), délétère (fr), nuisible (fr), dangereux (fr)
• German: (medicine) perniziös (de), tödlich (de)
• Greek: ολέθριος (el) (oléthrios) m, θανατηφόρος (el) (thanatifóros) m

• Macedonian: погубен (mk) (póguben) m
• Romanian: pernicios (ro), vătămător (ro), dăunător (ro)
• Russian: вредный (ru) (vrédnyj), гибельный (ru) (gíbel'nyj)
• Spanish: pernicioso (es)
• Turkish: ölümcül (tr), (medicine) pernisiyöz (tr)

Anagrams

• superionic