Abhorr

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An archaic form meaning to feel deep disgust or hatred toward something, shrinking from it with horror
2. To detest something intensely and recoil from it, as a variant of an older word for loathing
3. Archaic spelling of a verb meaning to hold in utter revulsion or to despise with strong feeling

Etymology: The Romans built "abhorrere" from "ab", meaning away from, and "horrere", to bristle or shudder. To abhor something was to recoil from it so violently that your hair stood on end. That bodily image is shared with "horror" and "horrid", which descend from the same Latin verb. The physical bristling faded from the word long ago, leaving only the emotion of revulsion. English took the verb directly from Latin during the Middle English period, when writers were drawing heavily on Latin vocabulary.

Synonyms: abhor, detest, loathe, hate, despise

Antonyms: love, admire, cherish, appreciate