ill

ill · adjective, adverb, noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₁elḱ-
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*ilhilaz
3. Old Norse · derived fromíllr
4. Middle English · inherited fromille“evil; wicked”
5. English todayill

From Middle English ille (“evil; wicked”), from Old Norse íllr (adjective), ílla (adverb), ílt (noun), from Proto-Germanic *ilhilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁elḱ- (whence Latin ulcus (“sore”), Ancient Greek ἕλκος (hélkos, “wound, ulcer”), Sanskrit अर्शस् (árśas, “hemorrhoids”)). Cognates Cognate with Scots and Yola ill, Danish ilde (“bad”), Faroese, Icelandic illur (“bad, ill, wicked”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk ille (“bad”), Swedish illa (“badly; poorly”).

Ill · proper noun²

1. French · borrowed fromIll
2. English todayIll

From French Ill.

First known use, by meaning

• 13th–19th c. Evil; wicked (of people).
• from 13th c. Morally reprehensible (of behaviour etc.); blameworthy.
• from 14th c. Indicative of unkind or malevolent intentions; harsh, cruel.
• from 15th c. Unwell in terms of health or physical condition; sick.
• from 20th c. Nauseated; having an urge to vomit.