Etymology of the English word atrocious
the English word
atrociousderived from the English word
atrocityderived from the Latin word
atrocitas (fury; barbarity, cruelty)
derived from the Latin word
atrox (fierce, savage, bloody)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*ater-using the English suffix
-ousderived from the Latin suffix
-osusderived from the Latin word
atrocusderived from the Latin word
ater (black, dark; dark-colored; deadly, terrible, grisly)
Date
The earliest known usage of atrocious in English dates from the 17th century.
Usage
Word found in Modern English
