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 January 31, 2011
 
Word of the Week--"terrific"
Definition--terrifying or frightful or colloquially marvelous, excellent, or intense.
Discussion--Few words are antonyms unto themselves. Terrific is one. Its original meaning reflects its Latin roots. Terrific is an adjectival form of terror. Hence the usage: "The earthquake was a terrific disaster." More frequently today we would say: "The earthquake was terrifying."
In the 1800s and 1900s, terrific took on the opposite meaning of terrify. Hence the usage: "Grace is a terrific cook!" Presumably, rather than causing terror, the previous sentence means that Grace is a marvelous cook whose food we would all enjoy. Vestiges of the old meaning are seen in phrases such as: "Carl has a terrific headache." From Carl's point of view, the headache is probably neither marvelous nor terrifying, though the meaning is much closer to original meaning of causing terror.
Etymology--The term terrific is borrowed the Latin terrificus, meaning causing terror or fear. The root is the Latin terrere, meaning to fill with fear.
The languages below lack a direct corollary to the English usage of terrific to mean marvelous or excellent. Foreign Translations for Terrific German:
hervorragend
Dutch:
geweldig
French:
fantastique
Italian:
formidabile
Spanish:
genial, estupendo, de muerte
The Romance languages below show the Latin roots of the meaning to cause terror.
Foreign Translations for Terrify German:
Angst und Schrecken einjagen
Dutch:
schrik aanjagen
French:
terrifier
Italian:
terrorizzare
Spanish:
aterrorizar, aterrar
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