peior

See also: pejor

Latin

Etymology

Probably from Proto-Indo-European *ped-yōs (“to the ground, downward”), from *ped- (“to walk, fall, stumble”); compare pessimus (“worst”). Michiel de Vaan notes that a similar phonetic change *[dj]/[jd] > *[j] can be observed in the etymology of caelum (“chisel”) and caia (“cudgel”) from Proto-Italic *kaid(s)lo- and *kaidjā- respectively. Cognate to pēs, pessum.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈpei̯.i̯or/, [ˈpɛi̯ːɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpe.jor/, [ˈpɛːjor]

Adjective

peior (neuter peius); third declension

1. comparative degree of malus; worse

   Synonym: deterior, nequior

Usage notes

• In dictionaries published before the 21st century, the root vowel can often be found marked as long, but it is in those cases indicated to be long by position rather than by nature. This convention is abolished in modern dictionaries, which give, depending on typography, peior or pejor without a macron. The vowel is thus properly short, as can be indicated by the variant typographic spelling pĕjjor.

Declension

Third-declension comparative adjective.

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	peior	peius		peiōrēs	peiōra
Genitive	peiōris			peiōrum
Dative	peiōrī			peiōribus
Accusative	peiōrem	peius		peiōrēs	peiōra
Ablative	peiōre			peiōribus
Vocative	peior	peius		peiōrēs	peiōra

Antonyms

• melior

Derived terms

• peiōrō

Descendants

• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: peggiore
  • Sicilian: pijuri
• North Italian:
  • Romansch: pêr
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: pitjor
  • French: pire
  • Gascon: péger
  • Occitan: pièger, pieg
    • Vivaro-Alpine: pejor
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Galician: peor
  • Portuguese: pior
  • Spanish: peor
• Borrowings:
  • →⇒ English: pejorative

See also

• pessimus (superlative)

References

• “peior”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “peiior”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 455
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “pessum”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 463
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “caedō, -ere”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 79–80

Old French

Alternative forms

alternative forms

• paiour
• pegor
• pejur
• peor
• peur
• peour
• peiur
• peiour
• piour
• poiour
• peure
• pojor

Etymology

From Latin pēiōrem, accusative singular of pēior. The nominative form, pire (whence modern French pire) derives from the Latin nominative.

Adjective

peior (oblique singular, nominative singular pire)

1. worse; comparative degree of mal
   • c. 1180, Chrétien de Troyes, Lancelot ou le Chevalier de la charrette:

     Qui peior que Sarrazin sont.

     Who are worse than Saracens.

2. worst; superlative degree of mal

Declension

Declension of peior

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	pire, pyre, piere, peior	peiore	pis
	Oblique	peior		peiore	peior
Plural	Subject	peior	peiores	peior
	Oblique	peiors		peiores	peior

Antonyms

• meillor (“best”)

Descendants

• French: pire (from nominative form)

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (peior, includes information on declension)
• peior on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub

Portuguese

Adjective

peior m or f (plural peiores)

1. Obsolete spelling of pior.

Adverb

peior

1. Obsolete spelling of pior.