Ogre

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈəʊ.ɡə/

Definitions

1. A legendary creature resembling a hideous giant, frequently characterized by its monstrous traits and predatory nature towards humans
2. Often used to describe an individual displaying monstrous or savage traits, acting with cruelty or brute force
3. A mythic large creature known for its terrifying and brutish appearance ; a person who behaves with cruelty or harshness toward others

Etymology: The monster that haunts European fairy tales was once a god of the dead. Ancient Romans knew the underworld ruler as Orcus, and the Greeks before them knew a related figure, Horkos, the personified demon of oaths. Horkos punished anyone who broke a sworn promise, which made him a grim enforcer rather than a creature of appetite. The word reached English from French, where "ogre" had come to name a man-eating giant of folk tale. English first recorded it in the 18th century, borrowing the French form in the sense of a cruel, large monster. The journey from Roman god to nursery bogeyman happened in the gap between the classical name and its French descendant. Orcus also left a sibling behind. "Orc," the monstrous warrior of Tolkien's fiction, is a doublet of "ogre," coming from the same Latin source by a separate route into English.

Synonyms: monster, brute, fiend, goblin, demon

Antonyms: hero, angel, savior