The tendency to hate evil omens is a vital part of the history of abominable. The word descends from the Latin verb abominari, which means "to deprecate as an ill omen" or "to detest"; abominari itself comes from ab- plus omin- ("from an omen"). When English speakers adopted abominable in the 14th century, they used it to express their disgust over evil or truly detestable things—and for 500 years that's the way things stood. In the 17th century, the word's meaning moderated, so that Scottish novelist William Black could write in A Princess of Thule (1873), "Sheila had nothing to do with the introduction of this abominable decoration." Other descendants of abominari are abominate ("to hate or loathe intensely") and abomination ("something odious or detestable").
It was an abominable crime. your table manners are abominable!
Recent Examples on the WebWhat was once so abominable flowing from one direction was now justified in flowing from the other. Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 June 2022 The cinematic worlds of Gaspar Noé are bursting with people who, in the pursuit of ecstatic highs, sink to abominable lows.Washington Post, 5 May 2022 The acting in Forbidden West ranges from impressive to abominable.Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2022 Fury is 7-0 with 4 KOs, but it must be noted that Fury has faced abominable opposition. Anthony Stitt, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2021 The disgusting coverup, lies, obfuscation and hazing practices described in the lawsuit against Mater Dei High, which were the subject of Bill Plaschke’s recent column, are abominable and should be met with swift and appropriate discipline if true.Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2021 It’s not the first time the architecture of the place — and Heatherwick’s abominable Vessel — have been cast in this role.Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2021 But many have deteriorated into abominable conditions despite city efforts to force owners to clean them up. David Calvert, ProPublica, 15 Nov. 2021 Hovering above all the parties and all the jams and the richly detailed accounts of creating each album is an abundance of abominable behavior that only grew worse as Zeppelin’s fame exploded. Chris Vognar, USA TODAY, 11 Nov. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English abhomynable, abomynable, borrowed from Anglo-French abhominable, abominable, borrowed from Late Latin abōminābilis, abhominābilis (spelling influenced by Latin ab homine "from the man"), from abōminārī "to detest, abominate" + -ābilis-able