peior

See also: pejor

Latin

Alternative forms

• pējor

Etymology

Probably from Proto-Indo-European *ped-yōs (“to the ground, downward”), from *ped- (“to walk, fall, stumble”); compare pessimus (“worst”). Michiel de Vaan notes that a similar phonetic change *[dj]/[jd] > *[j] can be observed in the etymology of caelum (“chisel”) and caia (“cudgel”) from Proto-Italic *kaid(s)lo- and *kaidjā- respectively.

Doublet of pēs (“foot”) and pessum (“to the bottom; to destruction”). See cognates at pēs.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈpeːj.jor/, [ˈpeːj.jɔr]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpej.jor/

Adjective

pēior (neuter pēius); third declension

1. worse

Declension

Third declension, comparative variant

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	pēior	pēius		pēiōrēs	pēiōra
Genitive	pēiōris			pēiōrum
Dative	pēiōrī			pēiōribus
Accusative	pēiōrem	pēius		pēiōrēs	pēiōra
Ablative	pēiōre			pēiōribus
Vocative	pēior	pēius		pēiōrēs	pēiōra

Antonyms

• melior

Derived terms

• pēiōrō

Descendants

• Catalan: pitjor
• English: pejorative
• French: pire
• Friulian: piês
• Galician: peor
• Italian: peggiore, peggio
• Occitan: pièger

• Portuguese: pior
• Romansh: pêr, pês
• Sardinian: pejus, peus
• Sicilian: peggiu, peju
• Spanish: peor
• Venetian: pexo, pezo

See also

• pessimus (superlative)

References

• peior in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “peiior”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, page 455
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “pessum”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, page 463
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “caedō, -ere”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, page 79–80

---

Old French

Alternative forms

alternative forms

• paiour
• pegor
• pejur
• peor
• peur
• peour

• peiur
• peiour
• piour
• poiour
• peure
• pojor

Etymology

From Latin pēiōrem, accusative singular of pēior. The nominative form, pire (whence modern French pire) derives from the Latin nominative.

Adjective

peior (oblique singular, nominative singular pire)

1. worse; comparative degree of mal
   • circa 1180, Chrétien de Troyes, Lancelot ou le Chevalier de la charrette:

     Qui peior que Sarrazin sont.

     Who are worse than Saracens.

2. worst; superlative degree of mal

Declension

Declension of peior

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	pire, pyre, piere, peior	peiore	pis
	Oblique	peior	peiore	peior
Plural	Subject	peior	peiores	peior
	Oblique	peiors	peiores	peior

Antonyms

• meillor (“best”)

Descendants

• French: pire (from nominative form)

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (peior, includes information on declension)
• peior on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub