PERNICIOUS


Meaning of PERNICIOUS in English

[ pə'nɪʃəs ]

■ adjective having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.

Derivatives

~ly adverb

~ness noun

Origin

ME: from L. perniciosus 'destructive', from pernicies 'ruin', based on nex , nec- 'death'.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.