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Origin and history of furious

furious(adj.)

late 14c., "impetuous, unrestrained," from Old French furios, furieus "furious, enraged, livid" (14c., Modern French furieux), from Latin furiosus "full of rage, mad," from furia "rage, passion, fury" (see fury). Furioso, from the Italian form of the word, was used in English 17c.-18c. for "an enraged person," probably from Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso."

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to furious

fury(n.)

late 14c., furie, in mythology, "one of the Furies, an avenging spirit;" early 15c., "fierce passion of anger or hatred;" from Old French furie, fuire "rage, frenzy" (14c.), from Latin furia "violent passion, rage, madness," from or related to furere "to rage, be mad," which is of uncertain origin. "Many etymologies have been proposed, but none is clearly the best" [de Vaan].

The Romans used Furiæ to translate Greek Erinyes, the collective name for the avenging deities sent from Tartarus to punish criminals (in later accounts three in number and female; see Erinys). Hence, in English, figuratively, "an angry woman" (late 14c.).

furiously(adv.)

1550s, from furious + -ly (2).

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    angry
    late 14c., "hot-tempered, irascible; incensed, openly wrathful," from anger (n.) + -y (2). The Old Norse adjective was ongrfullr "sorrowful," and Middle English had angerful "anxious, eager" (mid-13c.). Angry young man dates to 1941 but was popularized in reference to John Osborn
    wild
    Old English wilde "in the natural state, uncultivated, untamed, undomesticated, uncontrolled," from Proto-Germanic *wildia- (source also of Old Saxon wildi, Old Norse villr, Old Frisian wilde, Dutch wild, Old High German wildi, German wild, Gothic wilþeis "wild," German Wild (n.)
    fierce
    mid-13c., "proud, noble, bold, haughty," from Old French fers, fiers, nominative form of fer, fier "strong, overwhelming, violent, fierce, wild; proud, mighty, great, impressive" (Modern French fier "proud, haughty"), from Latin ferus "wild, untamed, uncultivated; waste, desert;"
    gale
    Perhaps from Old Norse gol "breeze," or Old Danish gal "bad, furious" (often used of weather), which are related to Old Norse...galinn "furious, mad, frantic; enchanted, bewitched," from gala "to sing, chant," the wind so called from its raging or...
    vehement
    French vehement, veement "impetuous, ardent" (12c.), from Latin vehementem (nominative vehemens) "impetuous, eager, violent, furious...
    wroth
    early 16c. to mid-19c., but somewhat revived since, especially in dignified writing, or this: Secretary: "The Dean is furious...
    despair
    In this despair is akin to desperation, which is an active state and always tends to produce a furious struggle against adverse...
    rangy
    "having a long, slender form, quick or easy in movement" (as an animal suited to ranging), 1845, from range (v.) + -y (2). Also "adapted for ranging" (1868). Of landscapes, "hilly," 1862, Australian English (probably from range (n.)). Of persons of a long, slender form by 1899. R
    dragon
    mid-13c., dragoun, a fabulous animal common to the conceptions of many races and peoples, from Old French dragon and directly from Latin draconem (nominative draco) "huge serpent, dragon," from Greek drakon (genitive drakontos) "serpent, giant seafish," apparently from drak-, str
    decorum
    1560s, "that which is proper or fitting in a literary or artistic composition;" 1580s, "propriety of speech, behavior, or dress; formal politeness," from Latin decorum "that which is seemly," noun use of neuter of adjective decorus "fit, proper," from decor "beauty, elegance, cha

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