ill
English
/ɪl/
adj
Definitions
- (obsolete) Evil; wicked (of people).
- (archaic) Morally reprehensible (of behaviour etc.); blameworthy.
- Indicative of unkind or malevolent intentions; harsh, cruel.
- Unpropitious, unkind, faulty, not up to reasonable standard.
- Unwell in terms of health or physical condition; sick.
- Having an urge to vomit.
- (hip-hop slang) Sublime, with the connotation of being so in a singularly creative way.
- (slang) Extremely bad (bad enough to make one ill). Generally used indirectly with to be.
- (dated) Unwise; not a good idea.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English ille (evil, wicked) derived from Old Norse illr (bad, sick, evil) derived from Proto-Germanic *ilhilaz (evil, bad) derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁elk-.
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*h₁elk-
Gloss
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- being English
- boding English
- defined English
- fare English
- fated English
- fortune English
- idle English
- idlehead English
- idlehood English
- idleness English
- idler English
- idleship English
- idlesome English
- idleth English
- idly English
- ill stound English
- ill will English
- ill-being English
- ill-boding English
- ill-defined English
- ill-fated English
- ill-fatedly English
- ill-fortune English
- ill-judged English
- ill-judgedly English
- ill-prepared English
- ill-scathe English
- ill-suited English
- ill-treat English
- ill-willed English
- ill-willing English
- ill-wisher English
- illbeing English
- illfare English
- illish English
- illness English
- illnesslike English
- illsome English
- illth English
- illwisher English
- illy English
- judged English
- nonidle English
- nonill English
- nonillness English
- overidle English
- prepared English
- scathe English
- stound English
- suited English
- treat English
- will English
- willing English
- wisher English
- iljetä Finnish
- ilkeys Finnish
- ilkeä Finnish
- ilkeäluonteinen Finnish
- ilkeämielinen Finnish
- ilkeännäköinen Finnish
- ilkeästi Finnish
- ilki Finnish
- ilkityö Finnish
- ilkivalta Finnish
- ilkiö Finnish
- ulcus Latin
- ἕλκος Ancient Greek
- *h₁elk- Proto-Indo-European
- *h₁élḱos Proto-Indo-European
- *wers- Proto-Indo-European
- ille Norwegian Bokmål
- *ilhilaz Proto-Germanic
- ill Norwegian Nynorsk
- अर्शः Sanskrit
- अर्शस् Sanskrit
- *il-willynge Middle English
- idel Middle English
- ill will Middle English
- ille Middle English
- illwillid Middle English
- olc Irish
- illgørð Old Norse
- illr Old Norse
- ilde Danish
- illgresi Icelandic
- illur Icelandic
- अर्श Hindi
- έλκος Greek (modern)
- olc Old Irish
- olc Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic
- illur Faroese
- olk Manx
- *ilkeda Proto-Finnic
- *ulkos Proto-Celtic
- ill Westrobothnian
- *elkos Proto-Italic
- *Hárśas Proto-Indo-Aryan
- ارش Urdu
- will
- idle
- idly
- illy
- fare
- idler
- illth
- being
- treat
- fated
- suited
- wisher
- illish
- stound
- scathe
- judged
- boding
- idleth
- nonill
- willing
- illfare
- fortune
- defined
- nonidle
- illness
- illsome
- ill will
- prepared
- idleship
- idlehead
- idleness
- idlehood
- idlesome
- illbeing
- overidle
- illwisher
- ill-fated
- ill-treat
- ill-being
- nonillness
- ill-scathe
- ill-judged
- ill stound
- ill-wisher
- ill-boding
- ill-suited
- ill-willed
- ill-willing
- ill-fortune
- illnesslike
- ill-defined
- ill-fatedly
- ill-prepared
- ill-judgedly