Sunday Word: Nefandous

[sallymn]

nefandous [nuh-fan-duhs]

adjective:
Not to be spoken of, unmentionable; abominable, atrocious

Examples:

At the same time, González de Mendoza, a thorough admirer of father Las Casas, the defender of Indians, decided to omit from his sources those elements that could provide the hardliners with arguments, the just title, to confront China, such as the nefandous sin witnessed by Loarca and the death by a thousand cuts described by Dueñas. (Dolors Folch, Crime and Prejudice: Ming Criminal Justice as Seen in 16th Century Spanish Sources (Abstract), Researchgate, March 2018)

Also the Daemon belched forth most horrid and nefandous Blasphemies, exalting himself above the most High. (Increase Mather, Remarkable Providences: An Essay For the Recording of Illustrious Providences, 1684)

The poor fellow was chanting the familiar stations of the Boston-Cambridge tunnel that burrowed through our peaceful native soil thousands of miles away in New England, yet to me the ritual had neither irrelevance nor home-feeling. It had only horror, because I knew unerringly the monstrous, nefandous analogy that had suggested it. (H P Lovecraft, 'At The Mountains of Madness')

Many of the persons who held such opinions were, of course, guilty of the most nefandous conduct themselves, and yet saw no paradox in holding such views because they were not hypocrites themselves - they took no moral stances and lived by none. (Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age)

Origin:

'not to be spoken of, abominable, very shocking to the general sense of justice or religion,' 1630s, from Latin nefandus 'unmentionable, impious, heinous,' from ne-, negative particle + fandus 'to be spoken,' gerundive of fari 'to speak,' from PIE root bha- (2) 'to speak, tell, say.' (Online Etymology Dictionary)

Mid 17th century; earliest use found in James Howell (?1594–1666), historian and political writer. From classical Latin nefandus wicked, impious, abominable (from ne- not + fandus 'to be spoken', gerundive of fārī to speak) + -ous.