Gory
/ˈɡɔːri/noun
Covered with or involving a lot of blood; gruesome.
Did you know?The word is ultimately tied to a very old root meaning “blood,” so its horror is not metaphorical at all: it began as a direct blood-word before becoming an adjective for grisly scenes.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵʰelh₃-
“to be green/yellow; to shine, often reconstructed in a different branch than the blood-word”
Old English
OE
gār
“spear”
Middle English
ME
gor
“mud, filth, or thick dirt”
14th Century
English
gory
“covered with gore; bloody”
Modern English
English
gory
“bloody, gruesome, or shockingly violent”