heinous: M-W's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for November 22 is:

heinous \HAY-nuss\ adjective
: hatefully or shockingly evil : abominable

Example sentence:
The hottest video game this holiday season once again features a brawny hero who battles heinous beasts with his highly advanced arsenal of weapons.

Did you know?
Humans have contrasted love with hate and good with evil for eons, putting love and good on one side and hate and evil on the other. The etymology and development of "heinous" reflects the association of hate with that which is evil or horrible. During the 14th century, English borrowed "heinous" from the Anglo-French adjective "hainus" (same meaning as our English word), which in turn derives from the Anglo-French noun "haine," meaning "hate." English speakers have long used "heinous" to reflect the sense of horror evoked by intense hatred typically toward flagrantly criminal or wicked offenses and sins.

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