Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- An old mode of spelling abominable, on the supposition that it was derived from
ab homine , from or repugnant to man, ridiculed as pedantic by Shakspere in the character of the pedant Holofernes. - [Abhominable occurs in the Promptorium Parvulorum (c. 1440), and in Gower; abhominacyoun is in Wyclif's New Testament, abhominacioun in Chaucer, and abhomynacioun in Mandeville. Fuller has abhominal, a form made to suit the false etymology.]
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Abominable.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective obsolete Alternative form of
abominable .
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Warburton and Johnson, read _vice versa_: This is abominable which he would call abhominable, which destroys the poet's humour, such as it is, who is laughing at such fanatical phantasms and rackers of orthography as affect to speak fine.
A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 2 William Carew Hazlitt 1873
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But he concludes honestly that though their faith is 'abhominable' to true Christians, their life is good enough.
The Age of Erasmus Lectures Delivered in the Universities of Oxford and London 1901
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The text fails to make it clear whether the alleged flaw is adding or lacking an [h] in abominable, since both Holofernes 'own pronunciation and his presentation of Armado's pronunciation are spelled "abhominable" in the text ...
languagehat.com 2009
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Read Mark's post for explanation of the history of the unetymological "abhominable"; he ends by saying "In any case, this passage is the earliest example of linguistic peeving that I can think of.
languagehat.com 2009
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No truely Sir, I came hither to no other end, but onely to chastise and admonish them in friendly manner, to clense their mindes from such abhominable profit: And assuredly, I should have prevailed therein, had not this violent sicknesse hindered mine intention.
The Decameron 2004
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Master Doctor, seeing himselfe to bee in such an abhominable stinking place, laboured with all his utmost endevour, to get himself released thence: but the more he contended and strove for getting forth, he plunged himselfe the further in, being most pitifully myred from head to foot, sighing and sorrowing extraordinarily, because much of the foule water entred in at his mouth.
The Decameron 2004
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Which is an argument sufficient, that goodnesse is gone up to heaven, and hath quite forsaken these loathed lower Regions, where men are drowned in the mud of all abhominable vices.
The Decameron 2004
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Strambo, and the other intimate friends of Pasquino, having noted in what manner she used the Sage, and this appearing as her utmost refuge, either to acquit or condemne her: in presence of the Judge they smiled thereat, mocking and deriding whatsoever she saide, or did, and desiring (the more earnestly) the sentence of death against her, that her body might be consumed with fire, as a just punishment for her abhominable transgression.
The Decameron 2004
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Scannadio was, and what strange reports had bene noised of him, not onely for ransacking dead mens graves in the night season, but many other abhominable Villanies committed by him, which so fearfully assaulted him; that his haire stoode on end, every member of him quaked, and every minute he imagined Scannadio rising, with intent to strangle him in the grave.
The Decameron 2004
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At last one of them saide; I smell the most abhominable stinke that ever I felt in all my life.
The Decameron 2004
ruzuzu commented on the word abhominable
"An old mode of spelling abominable, on the supposition that it was derived from ab homine, from or repugnant to man, ridiculed as pedantic by Shakspere in the character of the pedant Holofernes." --Cent. Dict.
April 21, 2011
bilby commented on the word abhominable
I like it.
December 10, 2018
bilby commented on the word abhominable
THE BILBY HAS SPOKEN.
December 10, 2018