Etymograph

English

terrificness

Terrificness 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. Englishtodayterrificness1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English terrificness

Lineage

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

A compound of terrific + -ness

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, 5 more

through Latin terreō ‘to frighten, terrify, alarm’

terrorist, terror, 6 more

Today it means

noun The quality of being terrific.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “terrificness”. 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- / terrificness

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