"abhor, loathe," 1640s, a back-formation from abomination or else from Latin abominatus, past participle of abominari "shun as an ill omen." Related: Abominated; abominating. Middle English had noun, adjective, and adverb but seems to have lacked the verb. The Old French verb, abominer "to loathe" is said to have fallen out of use since 16c.
Entries linking to abominate
abomination n.
early 14c., abominacioun, "abominable thing or action;" late 14c., "feeling of disgust, hatred, loathing," from Old French abominacion "abomination, horror, repugnance, disgust" (13c.) and directly from Latin abominationem (nominative abominatio) "abomination," noun of action from past-participle stem of abominari "shun as an ill omen," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + omin-, stem of omen (see omen).
In biblical use, often "that which is ceremonially impure." The meaning was intensified by folk etymology derivation from Latin ab homine "away from man" (thus "beastly"); Wycliffe and Chaucer both have abhominacioun, and abhominable was mocked by Shakespeare in "Love's Labour's Lost."
