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hor·ri·fy

(hôrə-fī′, hŏr-)

tr.v. hor·ri·fied, hor·ri·fy·ing, hor·ri·fies

1. To cause to feel horror: The citizens were horrified by the bombings. The guest was horrified at the rudeness of what he had said.

2. To cause unpleasant surprise to; shock: "I ... passed a mirror ... & was horrified at the shabbiness of my hat" (Margaret Suckley).

[Latin horrificāre, from horrificus, horrific; see HORRIFIC.]

hor′ri·fi·cation (-fĭ-kāshən) n.

horri·fy′ing·ly adv.

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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