efferous

English

Etymology

From Latin efferus (“savage”), from ex (“intensifier”) + ferus (“wild”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛfəɹəs/

Adjective

efferous (comparative more efferous, superlative most efferous)

1. (obsolete) wild like a beast; fierce or ferocious
   • 1614, John King, Vitis Palatina:

     From the teeth of that efferous beast, from the tusk of the wild boar, – O Thou, that art the root and generation of David, preserve our root and all his generation.

Related terms

• efferate

References

• “efferous”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.