Venomous

How to spell venomous

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce venomous

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does venomous mean?

1. adjectiveProducing venom; capable of injecting poison through a bite or sting.
2. adjectiveFull of bitter hostility or malice.

Venomous in a sentence

• The guide warned hikers about the venomous snakes near the river.

• Her venomous remarks during the meeting left the team shaken.

• Some species of spider are venomous enough to require medical treatment.

• The review was so venomous that the author refused to read it.

Where does venomous come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin venenum, which meant 'poison' or 'a magic potion', and which in its earliest sense referred to a love potion linked to Venus, the goddess of love and desire. From that root developed the Old French venimos and venimeux, meaning 'full of poison', and English adopted the form during the 1300s. The noun 'venom' and the adjective 'venomous' have always travelled together, the second simply adding the Latin-derived suffix -ous, meaning 'full of' or 'characterised by'. Over time the word broadened beyond literal toxins to describe spiteful, malicious speech and feeling. The spelling trap lives in the middle: the two unstressed vowels both soften to a schwa, so writers are tempted to put 'venemous', when the correct spelling keeps the 'o' from venom intact.

How the word is built

• venom (from Latin venenum: poison)
• -ous (adjective suffix: full of)