Other forms: detested, detests, detesting
To detest is to dislike somebody or something intensely. Detest the man, detest cold weather, thoroughly detested.
It is stronger than dislike and cooler than hate, since hate implies feeling and detest implies settled judgement. The Latin behind it means to curse while calling the gods to witness, which is a great deal more dramatic than the modern word.
1verbdetestTo dislike somebody or something intensely.
“I detest getting up early on cold, dark mornings.”
detest is a disliking.
Latin detestari means to denounce by calling the gods to witness — de plus testari, from testis, a witness.
Proto-Indo-European
*steh₂-
Latin
dētestor — to imprecate evil while calling the gods to witness", "denounce", "hate intensely
Middle French
detester
English, today
detest
Built from
From Middle French detester (French détester), from Latin dētestor (“to imprecate evil while calling the gods to witness", "denounce", "hate intensely”), from dē- + testor (“to testify, bear witness”), from testis (“a witness”); see test, testify. a doublet of detestate.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA