The one who read fairy tales, probably, sometimes came across the adjective "fierce". We’ll deal with the meaning of the word today, which, of course, is very helpful, because you rarely hear it now. Those who go all the way to the end with us will be able to boast of a rare definition in their vocabulary, and we will set off.
Origin
The word is interesting primarily because its etymology is unclear. But there is a version that, perhaps, it could not do without the Greek, in which there is lithos - "stone, rock." Greek, in turn, draws from a common Indo-European source, where leu is “stone, rock”. That is, the initial meaning of the word “fierce” is “hard, hard, brittle, sharp,” and then “cruel, evil; cold, hot. "
It is impossible not to notice that the word "hard" is present both there and there. It may be that it is guilty of transformation, a turning of meaning. However, this is only a hypothesis. After all, we need to find out the meaning of the word “fierce” in the explanatory dictionary, so we turn to the designated source.
Value and Suggestions
You won’t be full of history, especially when it comes to modernity, you need to be in trend and context. Therefore, let's see what a wise book prepared for us, announced just above:
- Angry, ferocious, merciless.
- Very strong, severe, causing torment.
You can immediately proceed to the sentences so that the difference between the meanings of the word “fierce” is clear:
- The boxer is fierce as a beast, he is completely merciless to his opponent, and of course, the referee stops the fight, because it is just a beating.
- Fierce trials fell to his lot, but he bravely endured everything and, probably, learned some lessons for himself.
- There was a severe frost on the street.
The stamp in the last sentence was given specifically. Did the reader ever think why we hardly hear about the fierce heat? It is noteworthy that the etymological dictionary suggests one and the other option. But people, when they reflect on the meaning of the word “fierce,” they represent the cold and the kingdom of the Snow Queen, and not the heat. Because it’s difficult for Russians to be hostile to heat. The tradition says that winter experienced us, and summer and spring are associations with life. True, it was winter that won the war for us (apologies for another stamp).
Synonyms
When it comes to a rarely used word, then synonyms themselves beg. Well, we yield not only to temptation, but also to necessity:
- strong;
- fierce;
- evil;
- cruel;
- furious;
- ruthless.
As one song sang: “Of course, this is not all on the list of worthy names.” But the number of replacements of the "fierce" is quite sufficient to diversify the dictionary of almost any person.