- Today's Word
Abhor
[ab-HOR]
Definition
- (verb) To regard something or someone with utter loathing, disgust, or hatred. It describes a deep, intense feeling of repugnance or complete rejection that goes beyond mere dislike.
Example
The strict vegetarian chef abhors the idea of cooking with meat so much that she refuses to even handle it in her kitchen.
Fun Fact
“Abhor” comes from the Latin “abhorrere,” which combines “ab-” (meaning “away from”) and “horrere” (meaning “to bristle or shudder”). The word “horror” shares the same Latin root. In medieval times, “abhor” had a physical as well as emotional meaning – it was believed that when someone truly abhored something, their hair would literally stand on end, similar to how a cat’s fur bristles when confronted with danger. This physical reaction was seen as proof of genuine abhorrence. The term gained particular significance in ecclesiastical law, where “abhorrence” was a formal declaration by the church condemning heretical beliefs. During the Protestant Reformation, people would sign “certificates of abhorrence” rejecting Catholic practices. Interestingly, in early psychology, the concept of “morbid abhorrence” was studied as one of the first recognized phobias, showing how the word bridged religious, legal, and scientific contexts while maintaining its core meaning of intense aversion.
(adjective) Producing an effect of anticlimax through a ridiculous or jarring transition from the elevated to the trivial.
The speech had been genuinely moving until the final paragraph, where it collapsed into bathetic appeals about his own suffering that made the audience deeply uncomfortable.