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A.Word.A.Day--ugsome

ugsome (UG-suhm) adjective

Dreadful, loathsome.

[From Middle English, from uggen, from Old Norse ugga (to fear). As in many typical stories where one child in a family becomes well-known while the other remains obscure, "ugly" and "ugsome" are two words derived from the same root -- one is an everyday word while the other remains unusual.]

"The grandmother is at times ugsome ..." John Moore; 3 Women, 3 Generations, Clever Word Play; Denver Post; Mar 7, 2002.

This week's theme: words to describe people.

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