Etymograph

English

superterrific

Superterrific comes from French terrifique ‘terrifying, frightening’, from Proto-Indo-European *troséyeti ‘to make scared, afraid’, and ultimately from *tres- ‘to tremble (with fear)’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tres-1‘to tremble (with fear)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*troséyeti1‘to make scared, afraid’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*trozeō1‘to frighten, scare, terrify’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterreō1‘to frighten, terrify, alarm’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterrificus1‘terrible, terrifying’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentterrifique1‘terrifying, frightening’
  7. English1500–presentterrific1
  8. Englishtodaysuperterrific1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English superterrific

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tres-Wiktionary, English superterrific‘to tremble (with fear)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*troséyetiWiktionary, English superterrific‘to make scared, afraid’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*trozeōWiktionary, English superterrific‘to frighten, scare, terrify’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterreōWiktionary, English superterrific‘to frighten, terrify, alarm’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterrificusWiktionary, English superterrific‘terrible, terrifying’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentterrifiqueWiktionary, English superterrific‘terrifying, frightening’
  7. English1500–presentterrificWiktionary, English superterrific
  8. EnglishtodaysuperterrificWiktionary, English superterrific

A compound of super- + terrific

Proto-Indo-European *tres- ‘to tremble (with fear)’

…

Proto-Italic *trozeō ‘to frighten, scare, terrify’

Latin terreō ‘to frighten, terrify, alarm’

Latin terrificus ‘terrifying’

French terrifique ‘terrifying, frightening’

English terrific

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *trozeō ‘to frighten, scare, terrify’

terrorism, 3 more

through Latin terreō ‘to frighten, terrify, alarm’

terrible, terrorist, terror, terribly, 4 more

Today it means

adj terrific, wonderful

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “superterrific”. 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 *tres- / superterrific

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