“detests” is a form of
detest
/dɪˈtɛst/ verb
Forms detests detesting detested
- verb (transitive) To dislike (someone or something) intensely; to loathe. “I detest snakes.”
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To witness against; to denounce; to condemn.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle French detester (French détester), from Latin dētestor (“to imprecate evil while calling the gods to witness", "denounce", "hate intensely”), from dē- + testor (“to testify, bear witness”), from testis (“a witness”); see test, testify. Doublet of detestate.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To witness against; to denounce; to condemn. [Obs.]
- verb To hate intensely; to abhor; to abominate; to loathe; as, we detest what is contemptible or evil.
Etymology [L. detestare, detestatum, and detestari, to curse while calling a deity to witness, to execrate, detest; de + testari to be a witness, testify, testis a witness: cf. F. détester. See Testify.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “detest”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details