Etymology

deleterious

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Today it means: Harmful, often in a subtle or unexpected way. Full definition →

Ancient Greek δηλητήριος
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromδηλητήριος“noxious, deleterious”
  2. English todaydeleterious

Adapted borrowing (1640s; 1582 as deletorious) of New Latin dēlētērius, dēlētōrius + -ous, from Ancient Greek δηλητήριος (dēlētḗrios, “noxious, deleterious”), from δηλητήρ (dēlētḗr, “a destroyer”), from δηλέομαι (dēléomai, “I hurt, damage, spoil, waste”). Not related to delete or deleble. Doublet of deletery.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.