fierce

EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle English fers, fiers, borrowed from Old French fers (“wild", "ferocious”), nominative of fer, from Latin ferus (“wild", "untamed”).

PronunciationEdit

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fɪəs/
(General American) IPA^(key): /fɪɹs/
(obsolete) IPA^(key): /fɜː(ɹ)s/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)s

AdjectiveEdit

fierce (comparative fiercer, superlative fiercest)

Exceedingly violent, severe, ferocious, cruel or savage.
A fierce storm battered the coast.

I felt a fierce loyalty to my family.
Resolute or strenuously active.
We made a fierce attempt to escape.
- 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
  Yet his passion for her had grown fiercer than ever, and he swore to himself that he would win her back from her phantasies. She, one may believe, was ready enough to listen.
Threatening in appearance or demeanor.
The lion gave a fierce roar.
(slang, Ireland, rural) Excellent, very good.
Q: "How was the party last night?" A: "Fierce!"
(slang, US, LGBT, fashion) Of exceptional quality, exhibiting boldness or chutzpah.
Tyra said to strike a pose and make it fierce.

SynonymsEdit

(exceedingly violent): incessive
(threatening in appearance or demeanor): incessive

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage

Armenian: վայրագ (hy) (vayrag), կատաղի (hy) (katałi)
Azerbaijani: şiddətli (az), dəhşətli (az)
Belarusian: лю́ты (be) (ljúty)
Bulgarian: жесток (bg) (žestok), свиреп (bg) (svirep)
Catalan: ferotge
Chinese:
Mandarin: 殘忍 (zh), 残忍 (zh) (cánrěn), 兇猛 (zh), 凶猛 (zh) (xiōngměng)
Czech: krutý (cs), nelítostný, zlý (cs)
Danish: vild, voldsom
Dutch: woest (nl)
Esperanto: feroca (eo)
Finnish: raivokas (fi), raju (fi), hurja (fi)
French: féroce (fr)
Galician: fero (gl), feroz (gl)
German: wild (de), heftig (de)
Greek:
Ancient: γοργός (gorgós)
Hungarian: vad (hu), ádáz (hu), dühödt (hu)
Icelandic: svæsinn
Ido: feroca (io)
Irish: fiánta, borb
Italian: feroce (it)
Japanese: 激しい (ja) (はげしい, hageshii)
Korean: 맹렬하다 (ko) (maengnyeolhada)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: دڕ‌‎ (dirr)

Northern Kurdish: dirr (ku)

Southern Kurdish: دڕ‎ (ku) (dirr)
Latin: ferōx, trux
Malay: ganas (ms), buas (ms)
Maori: tainanakia, tarakaka (of wind), taratutū, tātāhau, totoa
Middle English: fers
Norman: féthu (Jersey)
Norwegian: voldsom (no)
Occitan: ferotge (oc), feròç (oc), fèr (oc)
Persian: درنده‎ (fa) (darande), ژیان‎ (fa) (žayân)
Plautdietsch: grausom
Polish: zawzięty (pl)
Portuguese: feroz (pt)
Romanian: feroce (ro), fioros (ro)
Russian: свире́пый (ru) (svirépyj), лю́тый (ru) (ljútyj), неи́стовый (ru) (neístovyj)
Sanskrit: उग्र (sa) (ugrá), चण्ड (sa) (cáṇḍa)
Scots: fairce
Scottish Gaelic: fiadhaich
Spanish: fiero (es), feroz (es), enconado (es)
Swedish: våldsam (sv)
Tagalog: mabangis
Thai: please add this translation if you can
Turkish: vahşi (tr), sert (tr), azılı (tr), azgın (tr)
Ukrainian: лю́тий (uk) (ljútyj)
Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
Welsh: ffyrnig (cy)
West Frisian: fûl

resolute or strenuously active

Bulgarian: буен (bg) (buen), яростен (bg) (jarosten)
Catalan: feroç (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Czech: urputný, naprostý (cs)
Danish: tapper, ihærdig
Finnish: hurja (fi)
Hungarian: elszánt (hu), elkeseredett (hu)
Italian: risoluto (it)
Portuguese: impetuoso (pt), ferrenho (pt)
Russian: я́ростный (ru) (járostnyj)
Scots: fairce
Spanish: feroz (es)
Swedish: tapper (sv), viljestark (sv), resolut (sv), aktiv (sv)
Turkish: hararetli (tr)
West Frisian: fûl

threatening in appearance or demeanor

Bulgarian: заплашителен (bg) (zaplašitelen)
Catalan: ferotge
Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Czech: ohrožující, divoký (cs)
Danish: vild, frygtindgydende
Finnish: hurja (fi)
Galician: fero (gl)
German: bedrohlich (de)
Hungarian: veszedelmes (hu), fenyegető (hu), iszonyú (hu)
Maori: wawana, tōtoto (referring to the eyes), rōtari
Portuguese: feroz (pt)
Russian: свире́пый (ru) (svirépyj), гро́зный (ru) (gróznyj)
Scots: fairce
Spanish: feroz (es), fiero (es)
Swedish: hotfull (sv), skrämmande (sv)
Turkish: vahşi (tr), sert (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Irish: ^{(please verify)} aindreanta, ^{(please verify)} anghlonnach
Scottish Gaelic: ^{(please verify)} borb, ^{(please verify)} garg, ^{(please verify)} allaidh, ^{(please verify)} allta
Welsh: ^{(please verify)} chwyrn (cy)

AdverbEdit

fierce (not comparable)

(slang, Ireland, rural) Extremely; very.
It was fierce cold last night.

ReferencesEdit

fierce at OneLook Dictionary Search
fierce in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911

AnagramsEdit

Recife