English
terrific
Terrific comes from French terrifique ‘terrifying, frightening’, from Proto-Indo-European *troséyeti ‘to make scared, afraid’, and ultimately from *tres- ‘to tremble (with fear)’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tres-‘to tremble (with fear)’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*troséyeti‘to make scared, afraid’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*trozeō‘to frighten, scare, terrify’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterreō‘to frighten, terrify, alarm’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEterrificus‘terrifying’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentterrifique‘terrifying, frightening’
- Englishearliest quotation 1769terrific
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tres-‘to tremble (with fear)’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*troséyeti‘to make scared, afraid’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*trozeō‘to frighten, scare, terrify’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterreō‘to frighten, terrify, alarm’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEterrificus‘terrifying’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentterrifique‘terrifying, frightening’
- Englishearliest quotation 1769terrific
Earliest quotation: 1769, Joseph Collyer, The Messiah: “The ſtar tremulous turn'd its thundering poles, and the…”
The story
The sense of excellent or amazing is an ameliorative semantic shift from the original sense of terrifying.
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *trozeō ‘to frighten, scare, terrify’
through Latin terreō ‘to frighten, terrify, alarm’
Today it means
adj Causing terror; terrifying.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tres- / terrific