Other forms: notoriously, notoriety
Notorious means famous for something bad. A notorious prison, a notorious liar, a road notorious for accidents.
That is the whole trick of the word: it means well known and it means badly thought of at the same time, so you can never use it as a compliment. It usually takes for — notorious for being late. The neutral twin is noted, and the flattering one is renowned. The noun is notoriety, and note that somebody can be notorious in a small circle: notorious within the department.
1adjectivenotoriousWell known for something bad.
“The junction is notorious for accidents.”
synonyms: infamous, disreputable
Also accepted in games: infamous
NO-TOUR-ious → NO TOUR
The coach slows outside the hotel, the guide glances up at it and says "no tour here", and drives straight on. Everyone knows why.
hooks ontotour
From Latin noscere, to come to know — the same root as notice and note. To be notorious is simply to be known about, and English quietly added the bad part.
Proto-Indo-European
*ǵneh₃- — to know; to recognize
Latin
nōtus — known, recognized; familiar, widely known; famous, well-known; infamous
Medieval Latin
nōtōrius — evident, known; famous, well-known; infamous
Middle English
notoryous
English, today
notorious
Built from
From Late Middle English notoryous, from Medieval Latin nōtōrius (“evident, known; famous, well-known; infamous”), from Latin nōtus (“known, recognized; familiar, widely known; famous, well-known; infamous”) + -tōrius. Nōtus is the perfect passive participle of nōscō (“to become acquainted with or learn about (something); (rare) to be familiar with, recognize”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃- (“to know; to recognize”). 2
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA