hideus
Old French
Alternative forms
- hydus
- hidous (Anglo-Norman)
Etymology
From earlier hisdos, hisdus, from hisda (“horror, fear”), of uncertain and disputed origin. Probably from Frankish *egisda, *egisida (“terror, fright”), from Proto-West Germanic *agisiþu (“horror, terror”), related to *agisōn (“to horrify”).
Alternative etymology cites possible derivation from Latin hispidosus (“rugged”), from hispidus (“rough, bristly”), yet the semantic evolution is less plausible.
Adjective
hideus m (oblique and nominative feminine singular hideuse)
- ugly; hideous
- circa 1170, Christian of Troyes, Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion:
- Grans et hideus a desmesure
Et si tres laide creature […]- Big and ugly beyond belief
Such an ugly creature
- Big and ugly beyond belief
-
Descendants
- Anglo-Norman: hidous
- → Middle English: hidous
- English: hideous
- Middle Scots: hidous, hidows, hidowis, hidwis, hidduus
- Scots: hideous
- → Middle English: hidous
- Middle French: hideux
- French: hideux