English
formidable
Formidable comes from Latin formīdābilis ‘formidable, terrible’, and goes back to formīdō ‘fear, dread’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEformīdō1‘fear, dread’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEformīdābilis1‘formidable, terrible’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400formidable1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500formidable1
- Englishearliest quotation 1823formidable1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English formidable
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1823, Walter Scott, The Contrast: “The latter part of the fifteenth century prepared a…”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEformīdōWiktionary, English formidable‘fear, dread’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEformīdābilisWiktionary, English formidable‘formidable, terrible’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400formidableWiktionary, English formidable
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500formidableWiktionary, English formidable
- Englishearliest quotation 1823formidableWiktionary, English formidable. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1823, Walter Scott, The Contrast: “The latter part of the fifteenth century prepared a…”
Formed from -able
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- ‘to hold’
drug, dark, dry, drama, firm, throne, dare, drain, drone, drastic, refrain, feasible, darn, dharma, dazed, dor, dern, 42 more
Today it means
adj Causing fear, dread, awe, or discouragement as a result of size, strength, or some other impressive feature; commanding respect; causing wonder or astonishment.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “formidable”. 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 / Latin formīdō / formidable