pernicious
UK /pəˈnɪʃəs/ · US /pɚˈnɪʃəs/ adjective
- adjective Causing much harm in a subtle way. “pernicious influence”
- adjective Causing death or injury; deadly.
- adjective (of a person) Insidiously villainous: intending to cause harm, especially in a subtle way.
- adjective (obsolete) swift; celeritous.
Synonyms
deleterious venom attery baneful deadly pestilent insidious subtle
Etymology
From Middle English, from Old French pernicios, from Latin perniciōsus (“destructive”), from perniciēs (“destruction”), from per (“through”) + nex (“slaughter, death”).
Analyzable as pernīx ("swift") + -ious.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Quick; swift (to burn). [R.] Milton.
- adjective Having the quality of injuring or killing; destructive; very mischievous; baleful; malicious; wicked.
Etymology [L. pernix, -icis.]
Etymology [L. perniciosus, from pernicies destruction, from pernecare to kill or slay outright; per + necare to kill, slay: cf. F. pernicieux. Cf. Nuisance, Necromancy.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “pernicious”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details