dire etymology

Dire

Etymology:

• Middle English: from Old French dire, from the Latin dicere (to say, to speak).

Meaning:

• Causing or predicting great misfortune or disaster; dreadful or ominous.
• Severe or extreme.

Origin:

• The Latin verb dicere, meaning "to say" or "to speak," has given rise to numerous English words, including "dictate," "diction," "dictator," "indicate," and "predict."
• The sense of "causing misfortune" comes from the belief that words have the power to influence the future. In ancient cultures, curses and prophecies were often feared as having the potential to bring disaster.
• The word "dire" is first recorded in English in the 13th century, in the sense of "dreadful" or "ominous." It was used to describe events, people, or things that were considered to be a sign of impending misfortune.

• In the 19th century, the word "dire" came to be used more broadly to mean "severe" or "extreme." It is now used in a wide variety of contexts, including:

  • Dire poverty
  • Dire consequences
  • Dire straits

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