Etymograph

English

execrable

Execrable comes from Latin exsecrābilis ‘execrable, accursed, detestable’, from sacer ‘sacred, holy, dedicated, consecrated, hallowed’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- ‘to make a pact, treaty’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seh₂k-1‘to make a pact, treaty’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sh₂krós1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sakros1‘sacred’reconstructed
  4. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEsakros1
  5. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEsacros1
  6. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCE*sakr̥s1reconstructed
  7. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCE*sakerr1reconstructed
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsacer1‘sacred, holy, dedicated, consecrated, hallowed’
  9. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexsecror1‘curse, detest’
  10. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexsecrābilis2as execrabilis‘execrable, accursed, detestable’
  11. Old Frenchc. 842–1400execrable2
  12. Englishearliest quotation 1779execrable2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin exsecrabilis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English execrable
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1779, Jefferson: “But is an enemy so execrable, that, though in…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seh₂k-Wiktionary, Latin exsecrabilis‘to make a pact, treaty’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sh₂krósWiktionary, Latin exsecrabilisreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sakrosWiktionary, Latin exsecrabilis‘sacred’reconstructed
  4. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEsakrosWiktionary, Latin exsecrabilis
  5. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEsacrosWiktionary, Latin exsecrabilis
  6. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCE*sakr̥sWiktionary, Latin exsecrabilisreconstructed
  7. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCE*sakerrWiktionary, Latin exsecrabilisreconstructed
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsacerWiktionary, Latin exsecrabilis‘sacred, holy, dedicated, consecrated, hallowed’
  9. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexsecrorWiktionary, Latin exsecrabilis‘curse, detest’
  10. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexsecrābilisWiktionary, English execrableas execrabilis‘execrable, accursed, detestable’
  11. Old Frenchc. 842–1400execrableWiktionary, English execrable
  12. Englishearliest quotation 1779execrableWiktionary, English execrable. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1779, Jefferson: “But is an enemy so execrable, that, though in…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- ‘to make a pact, treaty’

saint, sanction, santo, sanctity, sanctification, 9 more

through Proto-Indo-European *sh₂krós

sacre, 6 more

through Proto-Italic *sakros ‘sacred’

consecration, sacramental, consecrate, 6 more

through Latin sacer ‘sacred, holy, dedicated, consecrated, hallowed’

sexton, sacrament, sacrilege, 7 more

Today it means

adj Of the poorest quality.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “execrable”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin exsecrabilis. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- / execrable

Shirt and support for this word