detest

Contents

EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle French detester, from Latin detestari (“to imprecate evil while calling the gods to witness", "denounce", "hate intensely”), from de- + testari (“to testify, bear witness”), from testis (“a witness”); see test, testify.

PronunciationEdit

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈtɛst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

VerbEdit

detest (third-person singular simple present detests, present participle detesting, simple past and past participle detested)

1. (transitive) To dislike intensely; to loathe.

   I detest snakes.

   • Alexander Pope

     Who dares think one thing, and another tell, / My heart detests him as the gates of hell.

2. (transitive, obsolete) To witness against; to denounce; to condemn.
   • Fuller

     The heresy of Nestorius […] was detested in the Eastern churches.

   • Bale

     God hath detested them with his own mouth.

Usage notesEdit

• This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs

SynonymsEdit

• See also Thesaurus:hate

Related termsEdit

• detestable
• detestation

TranslationsEdit

to dislike intensely

• Bulgarian: мразя (bg) (mrazja), ненавиждам (bg) (nenaviždam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 厭恨 (zh), 厌恨 (zh) (yànhèn), 恨死 (hènsǐ)

• Czech: ošklivit si, hnusit si
• Dutch: verafschuwen (nl)
• Esperanto: abomeni (eo), malamegi
• Finnish: inhota (fi)
• French: détester (fr), mépriser (fr)
• German: verabscheuen (de)
• Irish: an ghráin a bheith agat ar
• Italian: detestare (it)

• Japanese: (as an adjective) 大嫌い (だいきらい, daikirai), ひどく嫌う (ひどくきらう, hidoku kirau)
• Latin: odi, exsecror, execror
• Polish: nienawidzić (pl), nie cierpieć
• Portuguese: detestar (pt), odiar (pt)
• Russian: ненави́деть (ru) (nenavídetʹ)
• Scots: laith
• Scottish Gaelic: fuathaich
• Spanish: detestar (es)
• Swedish: avsky (sv)
• Thai: ชิงชัง (th) (ching-chang), รังเกียจ (th)

See alsoEdit

• abhor
• despise
• disdain
• dislike
• hate
• loathe

Further readingEdit

• detest in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• detest in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

AnagramsEdit

• dettes, setted, tested