Skip to content
word of the day

The word for today is…

execrable (adjective) –
1 : deserving to be execrated : detestable
2 : very bad : wretched

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : Execrable is a descendant of the Latin verb exsecrari, meaning “to put under a curse.” Since its earliest uses in English, beginning in the 14th century, execrable has meant “deserving or fit to be execrated,” the reference being to things so abominable as to be worthy of formal denouncement (such as “execrable crimes”). But in the 19th century we lightened it up a bit, and our “indescribably bad” sense has since been applied to everything from roads (“execrable London pavement” – Sir Walter Scott) to food (“The coffee in the station house was … execrable.” – Clarence Day) to, inevitably, the weather (“the execrable weather of the past fortnight” – The (London) Evening Standard). First known use as in the first sense above was in the 14th century.

If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.

Latest