abominor

Abominor is a Latin deponent verb meaning to detest, abhor, or regard as an ill omen. In Classical and later Latin texts it carries senses ranging from the ritual action of averting or denouncing a bad omen to a stronger moral sense of abhorrence. The first-person singular present indicative form is abominor, often translated as "I detest" or "I regard with abhorrence."

Grammatically, abominor belongs to the deponent verbs: it has passive forms but an active meaning. Its principal parts are abominor, abominari, abominatus sum. Conjugation follows the first-deponent pattern, with infinitive abominari and perfect abominatus sum. As with other deponents, participles and perfect forms take the morphology of passive verbs while preserving active semantics.

Etymologically, abominor derives from the prefix ab- "away" plus ominari "to take omens" (linked to omen), originally implying averting or rejecting an unfavorable omen. Over time the word broadened into moral and emotional registers. It is the source of English and Romance derivatives such as abominable, abomination, and abominate, transmitted through Latin abominari/abominatio. The verb appears in Classical, Late Antique, Medieval, and ecclesiastical Latin usage, often in contexts discussing superstition, ritual, or moral condemnation.