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a·tro·cious

(ə-trōshəs)

adj.

1. Extremely evil or cruel; monstrous: an atrocious crime.

2. Exceptionally bad; abominable: atrocious decor; atrocious behavior.

[From Latin atrōx, atrōc-, frightful, cruel; see āter- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

a·trocious·ly adv.

a·trocious·ness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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