hideus

Old French

Alternative forms

• hydus
• hidous (Anglo-Norman)

Etymology

From earlier hisdos, hisdus, from hisda (“horror, fear”), of uncertain and disputed origin. Probably from Frankish *egisda, *egisida (“terror, fright”), from Proto-West Germanic *agisiþu (“horror, terror”), related to *agisōn (“to horrify”).

Alternative etymology cites possible derivation from Latin hispidosus (“rugged”), from hispidus (“rough, bristly”), yet the semantic evolution is less plausible.

Adjective

hideus m (oblique and nominative feminine singular hideuse)

1. ugly; hideous
   • c. 1170, Christian of Troyes, Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion:

     Grans et hideus a desmesure
     Et si tres laide creature […]

     Big and ugly beyond belief
     Such an ugly creature

Descendants

• Anglo-Norman: hidous
  • → Middle English: hidous
    • English: hideous
    • Middle Scots: hidous, hidows, hidowis, hidwis, hidduus
      • Scots: hideous
• Middle French: hideux, hideus
  • French: hideux